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Press Releases

March 27, 2023

EFFECT Photonics one of Europe’s 40 top high-tech startups to High Tech Venture Days (HTVD) 2020

EFFECT Photonics, a leading developer of high-performance dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical components based…

Press Releases

March 27, 2023

EFFECT Photonics is a finalist for the PIC Awards 2017!

We are proud to announce we’ve been chosen as a finalist for the PIC Awards…

Press Releases

November 22, 2022

EFFECT Photonics announces new optical System-on-Chip (SoC) bringing low-cost tunability to Data Centre Interconnects and Metro

EFFECT Photonics announces a new, full band tunable optical System-on-Chip to meet the surging demand…

Press Releases

September 28, 2022

Meet the team behind the EFFECT Photonics & Aston University partnership to bring greater bandwidth to a greener future

The optical transceiver market is expected to double in size by 2025, and coherent optical…

The optical transceiver market is expected to double in size by 2025, and coherent optical technology has come a long way over the past decade to become more accessible and thus have a greater impact on this market. When Nortel (later Ciena) introduced the first commercial coherent transponder in 2008, the device was a bulky, expensive line card with discrete components distributed on multiple circuit boards.

Recently, EFFECT Photonics and Aston University announced that they would collaborate as part of the newly formed Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Highly Integrated Coherent Optical Fibre Communications.

To learn more about this industry/academic partnership, we interviewed the three lead researchers in this project: Prof. Wladek Forysiak, Dr. Ian Phillips, and Dr. Stylianos Sygletos.

Tell us a little more about yourself and the team

Wladek: My background goes back almost to the start of the Aston Institute of Photonics Technology (AIPT). AIPT was formed by a couple of guys who came out of British Telecom and what was then part of the GEC Telecom Company. The institute has deep industrial roots, and hence the people who work at AIPT often like to participate in projects close to the industry with relatively short timescales. I joined the institute as a post-doc and then subsequently became an academic staff member.

Around 2000, I left alongside five others for a “virtual startup” with the Marconi company, and we formed an entity called Marconi Solstis. At that time, we developed a record-breaking terrestrial ultra long haul system, and we installed our first system in Australia, linking the cities of Perth and Adelaide. Marconi then morphed into Ericsson, and I stayed there for another six to seven years.

In 2010, I moved to Oclaro (now Lumentum), which does somewhat similar technology to what’s being developed by EFFECT Photonics on their integrated indium phosphide platform. I spent three or four years there before returning to academic life at Aston. As for the team, we have funding for three full-time Ph.D. students we’re currently working to recruit. They will be the cement, the foundation of our project.

Ian: I’m of a similar background to Wladek. My expertise is in transceivers, especially characterization and design. I completed my Ph.D. at Aston in 1997 in optical signal processing. British Telecom (BT) sponsored the project, and I worked there for a year after my Ph.D. Corning subsequently purchased the BT Photonics Lab in 2000, and I stayed there for another year. Afterward, I moved to Marconi Solstis with Wladek and stayed there until 2010, when Ericsson closed the site. I then worked in Italy for two years, transferring some system knowledge to the Ericsson research group there, and finally, I joined Aston in 2012.

Stylianos: I completed my Ph.D. at the National Technical University of Athens in 2006, focusing on the physical layer modeling of optical communication systems. I worked for a year at Athens Information Technology (i.e., a research center of Intracom, the largest telecom system provider in Greece). Between 2007 and 2009, I moved for a post-doc position in the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, working with Juerg Leuthold to model quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers.

I then moved to the Tyndall National Institute in Ireland in 2009 to join the group of Andrew Ellis. I focused on the design and experimental implementation of phase-sensitive amplifiers and optical phase-locking solutions for these amplifiers.

After 2012, I joined AIPT as a research fellow, where my research interests eventually changed to digital signal processing and machine learning. I want to apply machine learning to the physical layer of optical communication systems. I’m now the director of two Master’s programs at Aston: the Smart Telecom and Sensing Networks (SMARTNET) and the Erasmus Mundus Photonic Integration and Networks (PIXNET), in collaboration with different universities in Europe and Japan.

What attracted you to collaborate with EFFECT Photonics?

Wladek: This project came about through a conversation between James (EFFECT Photonics’ CEO) and myself where he said, “Well, I’m interested in growing research activities to enhance our systems capability, and I have confidence in the experience of you and the Aston team”. So I said to him that one way to build a long-term relationship between a company and a university is through Ph.D. studentships.

AIPT is very much about doing applied research, and James was very much about the value of user-directed research that is close to the market and based on real-world situations. So he and I shared that vision around the partnership.

Another reason was, of course, that EFFECT Photonics has technology complementary to ours. EFFECT can be a source of advanced technology for us to build the best experiments that compete with the best in the world. Our competition is in the advanced labs of Japan, the US, and other areas in Europe, and having access to great components is key to matching their capabilities.

We also found attractive the ambition and drive of a startup company and its ability to make quick decisions. When I reached out to James with ideas, I could get an immediate yes or no answer, often on the call, for authorization.

Ian: James explained to us really well what EFFECT Photonics was doing, its ambitions, and how it aligned with our work. When we visited the facility in Brixham and were shown around the labs, it was all indicative of a company that wanted to get things done quickly, and hopefully, we can help them in that process.

Stylianos: On top of what Wladek already mentioned, it’s great to work with a startup that is more open to testing new technologies. I’m passionate about machine learning, and the prospect of applying machine learning algorithms to EFFECT Photonics’ novel technology platform is very exciting. I feel like there is an opportunity to make a big impact.

In what ways do the facilities of Aston University complement what EFFECT Photonics has?

Wladek: EFFECT Photonics develops advanced components that interest people like us working on optical communication systems and networks. We’re used to thinking about integrating these advanced components into our systems and getting the maximum capacity from point A to B.

We have a history of 30 years with optical fiber transmission, so we have all the necessary facilities for system modeling and testing. Stelios also brings to the party his expertise in DSP software, which is also critical to what EFFECT Photonics may do in the future.

Ian: We also see our job as training the Ph.D. students to pass on our knowledge of system design and how that reflects in EFFECT Photonics’ transceiver design. We want to train the students and get them to creatively and effectively use the components.

Stylianos: It depends on how the project goes, but we can even develop device models of EFFECT Photonics units and identify the device parameters that can meet network and system-level targets. We can even combine it with machine learning for extra optimization of those parameters.

What are some of the main challenges you hope to address?

Wladek: Looking for a greener future is a big challenge in optical comms. We’ve all witnessed it in the last couple of years with the pandemic. We need greater network capacity but also cheaper and greener. We cannot let that demand for capacity just be the same old technology since power consumption would go up and up and up.

The challenges are similar to what they’ve always been, in a way, but even more acute. And we need to do it all without really spending more money. Nobody wants to pay more for their comms at the end of the day.

We should also go in other directions to increase the capacity. For example, EFFECT Photonics’ current components are made for the optical C-band, but people in long-haul and other areas are looking at creating multiband components that can also operate in the L-band. We’ve also got projects currently looking at the S-band and shorter wavelengths. Researchers are also looking at different fibre structures to carry more and more signals.

At the same time, there’s an industry drive never to pay for more. Ultimately, that mindset has driven even more technical innovation. Capacity has gone up, but the price has gone down. It’s a relentless game, and everyone keeps saying there’s going to be a point at which we don’t need any more capacity, but if it’s there, we always find ways of using it.

Ian: One key challenge many companies are working on is increasing the baud rate, which is quite a technical problem. If you increase the baud rate, you increase the channel capacity too. It was stuck at around 28 GBaud for a long time, and now it’s going up 64 and even 100 GBaud.

Stylianos: I want to mention how important is network optimization to improve performance and reduce power consumption, which would lead to greener networks.

Network operators need to maintain large performance margins to secure a robust operation in different network conditions. In practice, however, these margins mean more power consumption. Ideally, you would like to reduce those margins by a more efficient design of your system and performance that can adapt to the different conditions. We can achieve these goals through machine learning.

This requires solutions for multi-objective optimization. For example, we are not just interested in designing the transmitter subsystem, but we want to see how transmitter performance is connected to network-level performance, as measured by throughput and power consumption. This is a complex problem that involves different layers of the system.

Takeaways

Moving towards a higher-capacity and greener future requires strong collaboration between academic and industrial partners with shared goals. EFFECT Photonics and Aston University share a vision around this greener future and the value of applied research.

This joint project will unite EFFECT Photonics’ component development expertise with Aston’s expertise in optical fiber transmission modeling, testing, and network optimization through machine learning. This union can enable faster, more affordable, and sustainable coherent products that give greater bandwidth to a greener future.

As Wladek mentioned in the interview, this joint project is looking for three PhD students to drive it forward, with the positions available to start in March, July, or October 2022. If you are interested in applying or know someone who might be interested, please visit the following link: https://jobs.aston.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=R210549 .

Tags: Aston University, bandwidth, coherent, coherent optics, CoherentPIC, digital signal processing, DWDM, Green Energy, optical network, photonic integration, Photonics, programmable optical system-on-chip, Royal Academy of Engineers, sustainability telecommunication energy efficency, Sustainable

Press Releases

September 28, 2022

Aircision and EFFECT Photonics to jointly develop coherent technology for free space optics

Aircision builds high capacity free space optics (FSO) systems that can be deployed fast, cover…

Aircision builds high capacity free space optics (FSO) systems that can be deployed fast, cover long distances and are highly secure. In December 2021, Aircision successfully demonstrated the capabilities of their first 10 Gbps FSO system. EFFECT Photonics is a leading transceiver vendor and able to deliver the flexible, pluggable optical transceiver that is a key component of Aircision FSO system . Together, Aircision and EFFECT Photonics are looking to push the boundaries of ground-to-ground FSO technology by combining the advantages of integrated and free space photonics.

“We were impressed with the capabilities of the EFFECT Photonics 10G SFP+ devices that we tested. It was an easy decision to involve them in our development plans for our next generation 100 Gbps coherent transmission systems” said Luis Oliveira (CEO and co-founder at Aircision). New technologies emerge every day and our digital society will keep evolving. To keep up with the ever-growing demand for bandwidth across larger distances, Aircision is developing a 100 Gbps coherent free space optics system capable of transmitting up to 10km.

Joost Verberk, Director of Product Management at EFFECT Photonics, “As we look to applications outside of pure fiber-based communications, we liked the market use cases Aircision presented as well as the market traction they already have. Our roadmaps follow a similar course making a joint development program an interesting option for EFFECT Photonics.”

Both Aircision and EFFECT Photonics are part of the PhotonDelta eco-system, a platform which is in place to accelerate developments such as this and reduce the time-to-market of new applications.

About EFFECT Photonics

EFFECT Photonics delivers highly integrated optical communications products based on its Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical System-on-Chip technology. The key enabling technology for DWDM systems is full monolithic integration of all photonic components within a single chip and being able to produce these in volume with high yield at low cost. With this capability, EFFECT Photonics is addressing the need for affordable DWDM solutions driven by the soaring demand for high bandwidth connections. EFFECT Photonics is headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, with additional facilities in the UK, the US and Taiwan, and a worldwide network of sales partners.

www.effectphotonics.com

About Aircision

Aircision is a deep-tech startup located on the HighTech Campus Eindhoven focused on developing high performing FSO systems for Ground-to-Ground applications. Aircision was founded in early 2019 with support from the Eindhoven Startup Alliance and HighTechXL. For more information, see the Aircision website here.  

Aircision.com

Tags: Aircision, eco-system, free space optics, FSO, Integrated Photonics, PhotonDelta, pluggable, Transceivers

Press Releases

September 28, 2022

EFFECT Photonics joins the SmartTunable MSA Group

EFFECT Photonics announced today that it has joined the SmartTunable Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) group. This…

EFFECT Photonics announced today that it has joined the SmartTunable Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) group. This MSA seeks to develop common self-tuning algorithms that enable interoperability among the full C-band tunable wavelength transceivers of different vendors. Currently, these modules use proprietary Self-Tuning Optic (STO) schemes that do not work appropriately with each other. EFFECT Photonics will collaborate in the SmartTunable MSA with other market leaders in tunable wavelength transceivers — II-VI Incorporated and Lumentum — as well as AT&T, ADVA, NEC, LIGHTRON, and OE Solutions. EFFECT Photonics’ CCO Harald Graber explains: “Self-tuning will simplify installation and management of tunable wavelength modules, reducing the time to service and allowing operators to provide faster service to their customers. By joining the SmartTunable MSA group and promoting module interoperability, we can make self-tuning optics, and by extension, dense wavelength division multiplex (DWDM) technology, more accessible to everyone. Our experience in developing self-tuning procedures for our NarroWave technology will allow us to contribute to the MSA group’s key objectives.” To learn more or to participate, visit the SmartTunable MSA website. – End of press release – About EFFECT Photonics EFFECT Photonics delivers highly integrated optical communications products based on its Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical System-on-Chip technology. The key enabling technology for DWDM systems is full monolithic integration of all photonic components within a single chip and being able to produce these in volume with high yield at low cost. With this capability, EFFECT Photonics is addressing the need for affordable DWDM solutions driven by the soaring demand for high bandwidth connections. EFFECT Photonics is headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, with additional facilities in the UK, the US and Taiwan, and a worldwide network of sales partners. www.effectphotonics.com Tags: ADVA, AT&T, Harald Graber, II-VI Incorporated, join, LIGHTRON, Lumentum, NEC, OE Solutions, self-tuning, Self-Tuning Optic (STO), Smart Tunable MSA, SmartTunable MSA Group, SmartTunable Multi-Source Agreement (MSA

Press Releases

September 27, 2022

EFFECT Photonics demonstrates 500Gbps PAM-4 capable TOSA, targeted at DCI and Metro Access Markets

Only 6 months after the successful launch of its 100Gbps DWDM transceiver product family in…

Only 6 months after the successful launch of its 100Gbps DWDM transceiver product family in March 2016, EFFECT Photonics is now demonstrating the ability to achieve 500Gbps using PAM-4 (4-level Pulse Amplitude Modulation) up to 75km, with its Optical ‘System-on-Chip’ photonic integration technology. This is the result of ongoing collaboration with the Technical University of Eindhoven, with further developments in the pipeline.

With Internet traffic expected to grow at an annual rate of 22-25% until 2020, the majority of this growth is coming from interconnecting Data Centres and in the Metro-Access segments. The need to reduce cost, power, and size continues to be a major driver of product innovation.

EFFECT Photonics is addressing this need with its Optical ‘System-on-Chip’ photonic integration platform by combining all of the optical functions into a single chip, and packaging this with its own low-cost ‘gold-box free’ packaging technology. The optical functions include: multiple DBR lasers, low-voltage drive MZ modulators, AWG, and wavelength monitoring, all within the single chip.

The powerful combination of EFFECT’s Optical ‘System-on-Chip’ photonic integration platform, unique low-cost packaging, and PAM-4 ticks all the boxes, reducing cost, power, and the physical size of the module – all this without the need for more expensive long-haul coherent optical transceivers.

VP Sales and Marketing, Robert Hughes commented “We knew very early on that combining many optical functions into a single ‘System-on-Chip’ offered a real alternative in the industry. This integration together with our novel packaging technology allows us to differentiate ourselves in the DCI and Metro-Access part of the network.”

EFFECT will be at demonstrating its 500Gbps PAM-4 capable TOSA at ECOC 2016, which takes place in Dusseldorf, Germany, between 19-21 September 2016.

-Ends –

Further information:
Email: press@effectphotonics.com
See us at stand #625 at ECOC 2016

Press Releases

September 27, 2022

EFFECT Photonics closes Series-A funding

Dutch company enables photonic integration technology for mobile networks and datacentres and revolutionizes density, cost,…

Dutch company enables photonic integration technology for mobile networks and datacentres and revolutionizes density, cost, and power.

EFFECT Photonics today announced that it has closed its Series-A funding to bring its Optical System-on-Chip technology to market to meet the soaring demand for bandwidth in cell towers and between datacentres. The first close of the investment round was led by investment company b-to-v Partners, and included the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and Optidob. EFFECT Photonics develops and delivers highly integrated optical components based on InP (Indium Phosphide) which is the material of choice for combining efficient laser light sources, waveguides, modulators, amplifiers, and photodiodes used in optical communication systems throughout the world. Using EFFECT Photonics’ System-on-Chip Technology, port density can be increased by over 6-times and operational expenses reduced by 40% when compared with existing approaches.

EFFECT Photonics is a spin out from the prestigious Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) which has been at the forefront of European photonic integration research. EFFECT Photonics, the recent winner of the Invest in Photonics Best Company award combines a team of integration technology innovators and experienced photonics industry veterans with backgrounds in Bookham, Nortel Components, JDSU and Agility.

James Regan, CEO, commented: “Dramatically increasing consumer demand for mobile video is driving a wave of data through cell towers and between datacentres that is expected to rise ten times over the next four years, creating a capacity crunch that only Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) can solve. With our DWDM Optical System-on-Chip and advanced packaging technologies we enable the cost structure network providers need in a competitive market environment.”

Dr. Christian Reitberger, joining the board of the company on behalf of b-to-v Partners, commented: “We are excited to work with the EFFECT Photonics team to deliver on the vision of highly cost effective photonic integration, combining the intellectual capital of Eindhoven and the South West UK know-how clusters. The photonic manufacturing ecosystem has finally evolved to make capital-light photonic hardware companies a reality.”

Miriam Dragstra, Managing Director of BOM Capital added: “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to support EFFECT Photonics as a high-potential photonics start-up in our region, which has established itself as world-leading in the area of Integrated Photonics. Our investment will contribute to increasing that critical mass and its spin-off to the community further.”

For more information about EFFECT Photonics, visit: www.effectphotonics.com.

Source: EFFECT Photonics.

About EFFECT Photonics
EFFECT Photonics B.V. is spin out from the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) and is a leader in the in the design and development of optical components using multichannel Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) in Indium Phosphide for mobile networks and datacentres. Headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, the birthplace of Philips, with additional R&D in South West UK and sales partners worldwide. For additional information, visit: www.effectphotonics.com.
Media contact
Email: press@effectphotonics.com

About b-to-v Partners
Based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Berlin, Germany, b-to-v is one of the leading networks of private investors in Europe. The company also acts as an independent investor and invests in start-ups, mid-size companies and special investment opportunities in the areas of Internet&Mobile, Life Sciences and Clean Technologies. b-to-v’s investment philosophy is based on creating sustainable added value for its portfolio companies while leveraging the industry expertise and entrepreneurial know-how stemming from the b-to-v’s network of private investors.

Media contact
Lennart Meyer
HOSCHKE & CONSORTEN Public Relations GmbH
Tel: +49 40 36 90 50-32
E-Mail: l.meyer@hoschke.de

About BOM
The Brabant Development Agency (BOM) promotes business development in a number of ways, with a particular focus on innovative companies and cross-industry initiatives that give the Brabant economy a lasting and competitive edge in a rapidly globalizing world and place the region among the top in Europe in terms of knowledge and innovation. BOM employs themed funds to invest venture capital in concepts with a promising future and encourages other public and private partners to come on board. In addition to venture capital and business development, BOM encourages knowledge-intensive and other foreign companies to establish themselves in Brabant. BOM also revitalizes existing economic potential, primarily by means of overhauling aging commercial sites.

Press Releases

September 27, 2022

EFFECT Photonics announces sampling of its low-cost narrow-band tunable DWDM SFP+ optical transceivers, for Next Generation Mobile Networks

EFFECT Photonics announces sampling of its narrow-band tunable DWDM optical transceivers targeted at Next Generation…

EFFECT Photonics announces sampling of its narrow-band tunable DWDM optical transceivers targeted at Next Generation Mobile Networks.

As the capacity needed in cell towers soars with the latest Cloud RAN architectures, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing is required, delivering 40 or even 80 wavelengths on the fiber. This brings challenges in operational complexity to manage this many part codes from supply chain and deployment to the cell towers. Tunable wavelength lasers can solve this, but traditional full-band tunable modules are too expensive for this application.

Leveraging its optical System-on-Chip technology with advanced photonic integration and low-cost packaging, EFFECT Photonics provides an optimized solution dramatically reducing the number of part-codes at a cost point which meets the needs of Mobile networks.

EFFECT Photonics combines many optical functions within its PIC platform including, tunable lasers, MZI modulators, waveguides, SOAs, photodetectors, along with integrated wavelength locker to simplify the manufacturing process through integration. This coupled with EFFECT’s low-cost packaging enables the ability to scale in volume cost effectively.

CEO James Regan commented, “We are addressing the need for low cost tunability at the edges of the network by integrating the optical functions and simplifying packaging. This approach enables us to support our customers by reducing inventory and sparing costs by more than 90%.”

Recently voted winner of the PIC International award for Advances in Photonic Integration, is combining the performance and tunability of indium phosphide with the cost point of full optical integration to deliver transceiver solutions to industry standard module formats which provide savings in operational costs and Capex to Data Centre operators.

EFFECT Photonics will be exhibiting at ECOC 2017 (stand #549) which takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 18-20 September 2017, and will be running a demo of its optical SoC technology.

-Ends –

Further information:
Email: press@effectphotonics.com
See us at ECOC 2017 stand #549

Press Releases

September 27, 2022

EFFECT Photonics today enters into an agreement with Skylane Optics to supply narrow-tunable optical transceivers to Telecom operators in Europe, North and South America

Days after EFFECT Photonics announces the sampling of its low-cost narrow-band tunable DWDM SFP+ optical…

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