SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., June 22 -- Multiplex Inc., the vertically integrated manufacturer of high-end optoelectronic components and subsystems, has introduced the MTX310EW; the first commercially available 10 Gb/s 1310-nm short-wavelength electroabsorption modulated laser (SEML).
    While the use of 1310-nm lasers for high-speed transmissions have been available for some time in the form of directly modulated distributed-feedback (DFB) transmitters, the MTX310EW is the first transmitter based on an EML platform. For 10 Gb/s systems EMLs are the light source of choice, and most EML manufacturers use 1550 nm technology, said Multiplex. The MTX310EW is designed to extend the fiber bandwidth in the "S" band (erbium-doped fiber amplifiers can only amplify C- and L-band signals in the 1550-nm window). In the future, it is envisioned that Raman (or semiconductor) amplifiers will be used with 1310-nm SEML transmitters in the "S" band, where the near-zero dispersion property of the fiber is utilized.