Coherent Solutions of Auckland, New Zealand, has launched the IQABC, a pattern independent automatic bias controller for IQ modulators used by engineers developing the next-generation of high-speed coherent optical systems.
The IQABC enables full control of an IQ-modulator’s DC biases, in automatic or manual mode, and is modulation format independent, paving the way towards simple generation of any conceivable optical signal.
The device uses sophisticated algorithms to accurately track and stabilise the bias points of any OIF-compliant IQ modulator. This will ensure that the coherent optical signals will be stable and repeatable, helping engineers to accelerate their product development and testing.
The demand for ever increasing data rates has led engineers to develop more complex and higher bandwidth IQ-modulators than ever before, but such devices are extremely sensitive to bias conditions. The IQABC will be an important tool to help engineers test and verify the reliability and performance of the IQ-modulators under test, the company says.
“The IQABC will relieve optical engineers of the rather frustrating task of modulator bias maintenance for higher-order modulation formats. With its robust, modulation format independent algorithm, it simply just works,” said Andy Stevens, CEO of Coherent Solutions.
The IQABC is commercially available now and will be demonstrated live at OFC 2016, booth 1328.