Santur Corporation
Encyclopedia
Santur Corporation was founded during the telecom bubble in November 2000 in order to develop and commercialize tunable laser
s for fiber optic telecommunications. These were considered very timely, as wavelength division multiplexing
(WDM), or adding multiple lanes at different colors into the same fiber for increased capacity was gaining popularity in long haul and metropolitan fiber optic links. A tunable laser could function at any wavelength slot, thereby eliminating the cost of manufacturing and the logistics of maintaining up to 80 different parts. Given the large venture capital investments of the time, dozens of approaches and technologies were proposed. Competing companies includes Iolon
corporation, Agility Communications, and Bandwidth9 . Previously, another tunable laser company CoreTek had been sold to Nortel Corporation for approximately $1.4B, causing quite a stir in the investment community.,
Unlike other tunable lasers that have a single cavity that is adjusted to change the wavelength, Santur uses an integrated array of 12 or 14 lasers, each at a different wavelength, all fabricated on a single chip at about a 10 micrometre pitch. Simply switching between lasers changes the wavelength in a coarse manner. Like most wavelength controlled telecommunication lasers, the laser chip is mounted on a thermoelectric cooler
to stabilize the temperature, and by making small adjustments to the inside temperature of the package, fine tuning of the wavelength can be realized. Additionally, the Santur laser package contains a micromechanical mirror that deflects in both x and y axes in order to couple the laser beam to the output fiber. This "switch" is necessary since each laser of the array emits at a different output aperture . The micromechanical mirror loosens the tolerances needed for packaging and allows the assembly to be put together with coarse tolerances and aligned electronically.,
In 2006, when the optical market improved, Santur gained substantial market share.. Recently single chip tunable lasers, such as the one commercialized by Agility/JDSU and Bookham /Oclaro have gained popularity , but substantial internet traffic flows using Santur tunable lasers .
Santur was sold to NeoPhotonics in 2011 for approximately $40M..
Tunable laser
A tunable laser is a laser whose wavelength of operation can be altered in a controlled manner. While all laser gain media allow small shifts in output wavelength, only a few types of lasers allow continuous tuning over a significant wavelength range....
s for fiber optic telecommunications. These were considered very timely, as wavelength division multiplexing
Wavelength-division multiplexing
In fiber-optic communications, wavelength-division multiplexing is a technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths of laser light...
(WDM), or adding multiple lanes at different colors into the same fiber for increased capacity was gaining popularity in long haul and metropolitan fiber optic links. A tunable laser could function at any wavelength slot, thereby eliminating the cost of manufacturing and the logistics of maintaining up to 80 different parts. Given the large venture capital investments of the time, dozens of approaches and technologies were proposed. Competing companies includes Iolon
Iolon
Iolon Inc. was a manufacturer and designer of tunable lasers and optical devices. Its headquarters were in San Jose, California. Its products included the Apollo line of lasers, as well as optical switches, polarization controllers, tunable filters, spectral monitors, and universal transponders...
corporation, Agility Communications, and Bandwidth9 . Previously, another tunable laser company CoreTek had been sold to Nortel Corporation for approximately $1.4B, causing quite a stir in the investment community.,
Unlike other tunable lasers that have a single cavity that is adjusted to change the wavelength, Santur uses an integrated array of 12 or 14 lasers, each at a different wavelength, all fabricated on a single chip at about a 10 micrometre pitch. Simply switching between lasers changes the wavelength in a coarse manner. Like most wavelength controlled telecommunication lasers, the laser chip is mounted on a thermoelectric cooler
Thermoelectric cooling
Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junction of two different types of materials. A Peltier cooler, heater, or thermoelectric heat pump is a solid-state active heat pump which transfers heat from one side of the device to the other side against the...
to stabilize the temperature, and by making small adjustments to the inside temperature of the package, fine tuning of the wavelength can be realized. Additionally, the Santur laser package contains a micromechanical mirror that deflects in both x and y axes in order to couple the laser beam to the output fiber. This "switch" is necessary since each laser of the array emits at a different output aperture . The micromechanical mirror loosens the tolerances needed for packaging and allows the assembly to be put together with coarse tolerances and aligned electronically.,
In 2006, when the optical market improved, Santur gained substantial market share.. Recently single chip tunable lasers, such as the one commercialized by Agility/JDSU and Bookham /Oclaro have gained popularity , but substantial internet traffic flows using Santur tunable lasers .
Santur was sold to NeoPhotonics in 2011 for approximately $40M..