Temperature Insensitive New Super Athermal AWG with Extreme Low Wavelength Drift

SAN DIEGO and SEOUL, South Korea, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- POINTek, Inc., a global leader and provider of high performance athermal AWGs (AAWGs) and optical module packaging services, today announced the release of the New Super AAWGs significantly improving the Thermal Wavelength Insensitivity over the -40°C ~ 85°C industrial temperature environment.

Conventional athermal AWGs are made to support a total of 60pm or larger wavelength drift, which amounts to compensating 0.5pm/°C shift in the AAWG operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C. In POINTek's New Super AAWG which is based on IP-pending optical packaging technology, the New Super AAWGs can support a total of typical 15pm or less wavelength drift, equivalent to 0.12pm/°C shift in the -40°C to 85°C range. Therefore, the New Super AAWG can sufficiently withstand any OSP applications such as 5G wireless fronthaul deployment. Also, the New Super AAWG provides the much-enhanced thermal wavelength insensitivity for the ISP applications. This New Super AAWGs can support a total of typical 5pm or less wavelength drift, equivalent to 0.07pm/°C shift in the operating temperature range of 0°C to 70°C whereas even well-made conventional AAWGs perform total of 20pm or larger wavelength drift or 0.3pm/°C shift in the 0°C to 70°C range (see the following comparison figures at the industrial (Figure 1) and standard temperature (Figure 2) ranges below).

"POINTek's New Super AAWG, the upgrade version of our current Super AAWG, is result of continuing improvement of POINTek's athermalization technology and packaging process.  By applying the simple athermal operating mechanism to the New Super AAWG, we are able to enhance the reliability and production capability. Our New Super AAWG's low thermal wavelength insensitivity is beneficial to the optical transport systems needing the smaller wavelength drift of the optical transmitters and will effectively provide the larger selection of optical transmitters," according to Dr. TH Rhee, CEO of POINTek. "I label this product as New Super AAWG because of the Super Low and Flat thermal wavelength drift of this 5pm total or 0.07pm/°C shift performance in 0°C to 70°C. This high performance AAWG is not available from any AWG vendor on the markets, and we are the first in the world," Rhee adds.

"POINTek has released its own athermalization IP-based AAWG products for the world first WDM-PON in 2004 as well as the world first 5G wireless fronhaul deployment in 2018, and we are selling various high performance AAWG bricks, in cassettes and chassis globally for the last 20 years," according to Dr. Donald Yu, CMO of POINTek, who runs global marketing operations in Southern California. Yu explains that POINTek's broad yet specialized optical packing technology allows us to manufacture all types of customized AAWGs as POINTek's athermalization technology is good for optimizing the temperature-induced wavelength insensitivity. "Now, we keep evolving our optical packaging know-hows to the New Super AAWG capability," Yu says.

POINTek has deployed more than 200,000 AAWG units globally and POINTek has expanded its AAWG application from the legacy DWDM networks to FTTx, 5G Wireless and even sensors. "We are not just an AWG specialty company. We started the DWDM multiplexer brick business with the athermal AWG product line, and then we have added Aero-space optical product line since 2011. Now, we are adding AAWG based DWDM optical sensor line, high-density DWDM cassette and chassis line with the aim of transforming POINTek into integrated optical solution provider company," Yu adds.

POINTek management expressed their continuous commitments to their core AAWG products in the multitudes of the athermal AWG family products, and these products including the New Super AAWG will be shown in POINTek booth 6219 at the OFC2023 Exposition in San Diego Convention Center, March 7~9, 2023. 

About POINTek, Inc.

Launched in 2000 with the goal of developing cutting edge Planar Optical Waveguide Technology, POINTek has become a global leader in the following two decades since its establishment, providing top-quality high performance athermal AWGs. POINTek specializes in packaging and manufacturing AAWG based DWDM optical device products and other optical specialty products. For more information, visit http://www.pointekinc.com.

Media Contact:
Donald Yu, Chief Marketing Officer
[email protected]
USA +1 (714) 519-4943

SOURCE POINTek Inc.