The DirectLight IG optical switch delivers
instrumentation grade switching, VOA, and
NIST-traceable calibrated power meter functionality to
users in the manufacturing test automation area.
Lucent has recently chosen DirectLight for use in its
manufacturing operations, incorporated as part of a
test automation station for its optical networking
products.
The value of switching in manufacturing test is
well known, and used in practice for component,
module, and system-level test for some time. Switches
efficiently connect the ports of devices under test
(DUTs), to various pieces of test equipment and
simulated network impairments (such as fiber spools,
polarization controllers, etc.). Switches also enable
24/7 automation of test processes, permitting faster
testing, and the potential to remotely trouble-shoot
systems fully deployed into manufacturing environments
if a failure occurs.
To date, the cost of optical switching has
limited the manufacturing engineer to choosing smaller
1xN switches. These smaller switches can be combined
to give a larger effective switch, albeit at
significant cost – a blocking matrix, with numerous
connections between the smaller switches resulting in
significantly higher losses, and the need to manage
multiple devices.
Parametric and protocol-layer tests are made
far more effective through a cost-effective MxN
optical matrix switch. As a fully transparent
connection tool, the DirectLight product can be used
for any of Lucent’s optical networking products,
regardless of line rate or protocol. A single
non-blocking DirectLight switch can replace numerous
separate switches, separate VOAs, and separate power
meter devices – all with a single control interface.
This eliminates dozens of unnecessary connector
losses, and amplifiers that would otherwise be
required to offset these losses, thus improving the
overall loss budget.
With the built-in per-channel VOA and power
meter, reduction in up-front equipment costs with
DirectLight can be as much as 4 times lower. In
addition to the reduction in equipment costs, a single
device means far fewer components to spare and
calibrate – meaning lower life cycle costs, and less
downtime. For those situations where footprint is
critical, DirectLight can dramatically reduce the
space in a test set, where as much as half a rack can
be condensed to 2 rack units
(3.5”).
