50 GHZ SPACING 88 CHANNEL ATHERMAL ARRAYED WAVEGUIDE GRATING (AWG) SAMPLES NOW AVAILABLE FROM FURUKAWA AND OFS; MASS PRODUCTION PLANNED TO START SUMMER 2010

OFC/ NFOEC 2010, Booth 1023, San Diego, California, March 22, 2010 - Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., and the U.S.-based OFS, Specialty Photonics Division, are pleased to announce launch of the new Athermal AWG, a temperature-independent multiplexer/demultiplexer for upgrading capacity in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical transmission systems. The device helps reduce cost by approximately 30% and helps save more than 50% space over conventional 50GHz spacing WDM configurations which use 2 separate 100 GHz spacing AWG modules and a high-unit-cost interleaver. This new design expands overall transmission capacity to meet demand by narrowing the bandwidth (i.e. signal spectrum) and the wavelength spacing between adjacent signals.  We meet the challenge of manufacturing a 50GHz 88 channel Athermal AWG module with a single chip by applying high-refractive index difference technology to the optical waveguides.

Furukawa and OFS will be exhibiting at OFC/NFOEC, Booth #1023 beginning March 22, 2010.

About Furukawa Electric Company, Ltd.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. (www.furukawa.co.jp/english) is an $11 billion global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of fiber optic products, network products, electronics components, power cables, nonferrous metals, and other advanced technology products. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Furukawa operates production facilities on five continents around the globe, including OFS and the OFS, Specialty Photonics Division, in the USA.

About OFS

OFS is a world-leading designer, manufacturer and provider of optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTX, optical connectivity and specialty photonics products.  Our manufacturing and research divisions work together to provide innovative products and solutions that traverse many different applications as they link people and machines worldwide. Between continents, between cities, around neighborhoods, and into homes and businesses of digital consumers we provide the right optical fiber, optical cable and components for efficient, cost-effective transmission.
 
OFS’ corporate lineage dates back to 1876 and includes technology powerhouses such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent, NYSE: ALU). Today, OFS is owned by Furukawa Electric, a multi-billion dollar global leader in optical communications.

Headquartered in Norcross (near Atlanta) Georgia, U.S., OFS is a global provider with facilities in Avon, Connecticut; Carrollton, Georgia; Somerset, New Jersey; and Sturbridge, Massachusetts, as well as in Denmark, Germany and Russia.

For more information, please visit www.ofsoptics.com.

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