High-Speed, Low- Power, Highly Integrated, Wide Wavelength Range Tunable Laser for Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) Networks

Navy aircraft are currently using proprietary, size, weight and power inefficient copper interconnects for avionics. These interconnects are costly for the Navy to maintain and to retrofit. New solutions are needed that are standards-based, easily upgraded and maintained, and leverage the efficiency of fiber optic, WDM technology. Accipiter Systems with its team will be developing a High-Speed, Low-Power, Highly Integrated, Wide Wavelength Range Tunable Laser for Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) Networks. We will be using highly integrated Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), and where possible relevant SAE standards. The objectives for this work include 1) Develop an OBM Laser Transmitter Module to meet NAVAIR Performance Objectives; 2) Demonstrate a representative system for testing the module and 3) Perform a system-level demonstration using the module and Program Office relevant traffic flows. We propose to develop a Laser Transmitter Module with a compliant package. The network system functionality is partitioned between the module and the host board. Our Optical Burst Mode networking technology uniquely operates in the Optical Domain to create a compliant WDM LAN. During Phase III, other needed components, such as the receiver, are developed, so a complete WDM LAN system can be transitioned and enable a fully networked avionic architecture.