Waveguide Amp Fits In Tight Quarters

Touted as the industry's smallest erbium-doped waveguide amplifier, the Metro EDWA is said to be half the size of comparable components and to offer integration advantages over fiber amps. The tiny amplifier integrates a pump laser, pump multiplexer, waveguide amplifier, pump kill filter and tap coupler in a single package measuring just 130 x 27 x 13 mm.
By including all the necessary optical components, the amp is said to significantly reduce the cost of incorporating optical amplification into larger systems—optical assemblies are typically more expensive, labor intensive and time consuming than electronic systems assemblies. With the Metro EWDA gain block, all manufacturers have to do is add their own electronics.