Enable Superior PMD Compensation Solutions; General Photonics Release Patented Differential Delay and Polarimeter Components.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

CHINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2001

General Photonics, a world leader in dynamic photonic signal control technology, announced today the release of two technology-breakthrough optical components to enable Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) compensation.

DynaDelay(TM), a patented dynamic differential delay line, controls the relative delay between orthogonal polarization components. PolaDetect(TM), a patent-pending dynamic in-line polarimeter, greatly increases the speed of PMD compensation.

"The two components (announced today) complement General Photonics' dynamic polarization controller product, providing PMD compensation solutions for 10Gb/s and 40Gb/s systems," said Steve Yao, General Photonics Founder and CEO. "These components clearly demonstrate our leadership in providing key modules for polarization related solutions."

Alan Willner, a professor at USC and founder of Phaethon Communications, noted that polarization related penalties are a technical challenge that must be addressed in 10Gb/s and 40Gb/s networks. "The performance of General Photonics' products is outstanding. They provide a low cost solution to solve polarization related problems in optical networks," said Dr. Willner.

In optical switching networks, the differential group delay (DGD) between principal polarization components varies in time. DynaDelay uses multiple birefringent crystal segments and 90(degree) rotators sandwiched between the crystal segments to achieve fast differential delay variations. PolaDetect, an inline high-speed polarimeter, greatly increases the speed of PMD compensation module by simplifying the computation intensive algorithm used to find a desired polarization state. Both products provide major improvements in performance, compared with alternative solutions.

General Photonics will demonstrate its award winning PolaRITEII(TM) along with the new DynaDelay and PolaDetect products at booth No. 1727 of the OFC show.

While the industry is deploying 10Gb/s networks and designing 40Gb/s systems, a critical transmission hurdle, polarization related dispersion, needs to be overcome. Because polarization-induced penalties are time-dependent, mitigation solutions must be dynamic and adaptive to random variations. An effective polarization mitigation solution involves key components including dynamic polarization controller, differential delay line and fast inline polarimeter. General Photonics is the first company in the industry offering these three components.

General Photonics Corp. invents and builds dynamic optical components to facilitate the growth of the next generation of fiber optic networks. The company's philosophy is to seek innovative and simple solutions to complicated problems. Its product lines include dynamic polarization control, dynamic spectrum control, and dynamic power control. The company's practice is to build the highest quality products that meet or surpass customers' expectations.