Insights
Direct Detection or Coherent? EFFECT Photonics explains
Direct Detection and Coherent: what is the difference between these technologies? What are their benefits and limitations?
In the following video, we give a short explanation about these two technologies.
Firstly and foremost, Direct Detect and Coherent use different levels of information.
Direct Detection works by changing the amplitude of the light to transmit information. In this case, the achievable transmission distance depends on the speed of the data signal: at lower data rates, the transmission distance is more than 100 km, but as the speed increase, it exponentially gets shorter.
Coherent Optical Transmission uses three different properties of light: amplitude, phase, and polarization. This way, it is possible to increase the speed of the data signal, without compromising the transmission distance. With Coherent, it is possible to transmit information across long distances with very high data rates enabling operators to upgrade their networks without replacing the physical fiber infrastructure in the ground.
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 low cost DWDM solutions driven by the soaring demand for high bandwidth connections between datacentres and back from mobile cell towers. EFFECT Photonics is headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, with additional R&D and manufacturing in South West UK, and a facility opening soon in the US.