Optical Components for the
Global FTTx Market
Abstract:
Worldwide deployments of FTTx systems
have accelerated dramatically over the last two years. While many factors contribute, including
the regulatory environment and competition with the cable TV industry, this
acceleration would not have been possible without the ability of the
optical components industry to supply very high performance devices at a cost
sufficient for deployment to millions of homes. We examine the technology,
performance and economics of two key components for Passive Optical Network (PON)
based FTTx systems: passive splitters and triplexer transceivers.
In the case of splitters, Planar Lightwave
Circuit (PLC) technology has enabled splitters to meet the insertion loss,
PDL and uniformity requirements of FTTx systems
in volume manufacturing. The first
generation of triplexer transceivers has utilized
the manufacturing scale achievable globally to meet the cost targets for initial
deployments, while a second generation triplexer
based on PLC technology promises further improvements.
Biography:
Dr. G.
Ferris Lipscomb was one of the founders and
Vice President of Marketing for Lightwave
Microsystems. He previously served as General Manager and Executive Vice
President of Akzo Nobel Electronic Products, Inc., and at Lockheed Missiles
& Space Company, Dr. Lipscomb was Chief Scientist for the Photonics and
Lightwave Technology at the Research and Development Division. Dr. Lipscomb
also served on the Technical Staff of the TRW Technology Research Center.
Dr. Lipscomb received his PhD in Solid State Physics from the University of
Pennsylvania and a BS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
