II-VI Incorporated Reaches Milestone of Shipping More Than 1,000 Wavelength Selective Switch Modules for Undersea Optical Networks
II-VI, a leader in optical modules, announced a key milestone of shipping over 1,000 LightFlow™ Flexband wavelength selective switch (WSS) modules for undersea optical networks. This achievement highlights the growing demand driven by cloud service providers for advanced undersea networks. The company emphasizes its unique position due to the ultrahigh reliability of its liquid-crystal WSS technology, which has been proven in the field for more than 15 years. II-VI offers a diverse range of WSS configurations aimed at enhancing global communication capacity while supporting sustainability.
- Achieved the milestone of shipping over 1,000 WSS modules for undersea networks.
- Strong demand from cloud service providers for advanced optical networks.
- Unique positioning in undersea WSS market due to proven ultrahigh reliability.
- None.
PITTSBURGH, June 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- II‐VI Incorporated (Nasdaq: IIVI), a global leader in optical components and modules for undersea networks, today announced that it has reached the commercial milestone of shipping more than 1,000 LightFlow™ Flexband wavelength selective switch (WSS) modules for deployment in undersea optical networks.
Cloud service providers are driving the demand for next-generation undersea networks with reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) embedded in branching points on the ocean floor. Undersea ROADMs leverage highly reliable WSS technology to cost-effectively manage the exploding growth of data traffic between datacenters on separate continents, by dynamically allocating bandwidth or rerouting communication. II-VI has now shipped more than 1,000 WSS modules for undersea applications since it received its first such commercial orders in 2019.
“The market for undersea-qualified WSS continues to grow, leveraging technology that has demonstrated high reliability,” said Dr. Richard Smart, Senior Vice President, ROADM Business Unit. “We are uniquely positioned in the undersea WSS market, thanks to the ultrahigh reliability of our liquid-crystal WSS, which is field-proven with more than 15 years of high-volume deployments. The WSS is the most recent addition to II-VI’s portfolio of undersea-qualified products, built over two decades of innovation and that includes an industry-enabling product line of high-reliability semiconductor lasers and optical components. These products are powering a revolution in undersea capabilities, driving the convergence of communications and computing, enabling new services, and improving global sustainability.”
The ultrahigh reliability of II-VI’s WSS was achieved with an athermal liquid-crystal technology, which is controlled by very simple circuits and consumes very low power. The LightFlow Flexband WSS is available in 1x1, 1x2, 1x4, 1x8, and 1x9 configurations. II-VI’s broad portfolio of products for undersea networks includes pump lasers, filters, and detectors.
II-VI’s expertise in both liquid-crystal and liquid-crystal-on-silicon technologies enables the company to provide the industry’s widest range of WSS offerings, including the most reliable WSS for undersea, the most cost-effective low-port-count WSS for access networks, and the most compact high-port-count twin-WSS for next-generation core ROADM networks.
About II-VI Incorporated
II-VI Incorporated, a global leader in engineered materials and optoelectronic components, is a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in communications, industrial, aerospace & defense, semiconductor capital equipment, life sciences, consumer electronics, and automotive markets. Headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, the Company has research and development, manufacturing, sales, service, and distribution facilities worldwide. The Company produces a wide variety of application-specific photonic and electronic materials and components, and deploys them in various forms, including integrated with advanced software to support our customers. For more information, please visit us at www.ii-vi.com.
| CONTACT: | Mark Lourie |
| Vice President, Corporate Communications | |
| corporate.communications@ii-vi.com | |
| www.ii-vi.com/contact-us |
FAQ
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