News: Optoelectronics
6 October 2021
Precision OT’s Advanced Engineering Group gains nine US patents
The Advanced Engineering Group at Precision OT of Rochester, NY, USA (a provider of optical transceivers and related active/passive optical components) has gained nine patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the areas of optical networking, integrated photonics and photonic radio systems, with many more pending. The group of in-house engineers develops solutions that help network providers to reduce costs while future-proofing their networks. The firm’s first proprietary design by this team - the PAM4 Access Reach (P4AR) transceiver - will be available for demo and pre-order in first-quarter 2022.
Precision OT's Advanced Engineering Group offers extensive experience in embedded systems, communications theory, signal processing, integrated photonics (both silicon photonics and indium phosphide), high-speed electro-optical integration, and integrated circuit manufacturing.
Due to increasing consumer and enterprise adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, HD streaming, artificial intelligence (AI) and other cloud-based applications, the optical networking industry is in a ‘golden age’ of innovation and expansion, notes the firm. Accommodating such bandwidth-intensive technologies within existing or new networks places significant strain on the budgets of today’s network providers.
“The Advanced Engineering Group’s objective is to develop new technology that can assist network operators in handling higher data rates across longer distances and generating crucial efficiencies that can positively impact their bottom lines,” says Chris Page, Precision OT’s chief technology officer. “To that end, we’re proud to have recently earned nine patents by the federal government that have the potential to shape global optical networks for years to come,” he adds. “With many optical component providers on the market simply white-labeling products, our Advanced Engineering Group is a key differentiator for Precision OT. And we not only develop new solutions, but we share our engineering expertise with our partners to help them build the networks that will work for them now and into the future.”
Precision OT’s P4AR solution is a prime example of the Advanced Engineering Group’s function. The existing QSFP28 DWDM DCI solution currently on the market requires external components such as erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), dispersion compensation modules, specialized filters and other transport equipment. In contrast, P4AR is the only commercial 100G DWDM QSFP28 switch pluggable product that does not require DCM (or other equipment) for transmission up to 40km, it is claimed. As a result, it enables network providers to achieve high capacity with high speed at the edge while reducing costs. With 4TB maximum capacity and a 40km reach without external equipment, P4AR yields upwards of 76% of CapEx savings, more than 8.5kW of power savings and 10RU of rack savings, it is reckoned.
