Nanotechnologies

Nanotechnology applied to photonic devices allows an high degree of miniaturisation of optical components with methodologies mutated from microelectronics.

With today's technologies, allowing the production of very high performances, but being costly and bulky devices, the use of optics in the telecommunication environment is mainly limited to very high capacity systems deployed in the long distance network.

The use of the set of techniques, collectively called "nanotechnology," will lead to a dramatic decrease in the cost of photonic devices, besides reducing size and power consumption, thus making them suitable for large volume applications. This is why nanotechnology is one of the main enabling technologies for the wide dissemination of optical fiber access, based on the so called "Fiber-to-the-Home" [FTTH] architecture, and for the generalised dissemination of optical transmission in the networks of Small-Medium enterprises. 

 In this field, Pirelli Labs Optical Innovation is strongly focused on technologies enabling innovative devices. The first of these products [Photonics Products], the tuneable laser, is included in the market portfolio of Pirelli Broadband Solutions. It's one of the first products in the world based on optical nanotechnologies - and is proof that Pirelli Labs can create innovation while being driven by market needs.

The adoption of high-index contrast PLC (Planar Lightwave Circuit) platforms further extend the potential applications that can be supported with high integration level and in a cost effective way, as required for large-volume deployment.

These technologies are the basis for the development of products to be adopted in the new generation of WDM systems [Optical-Flexible Networks], as for instance Reduced Form Factor transponder (pluggable and MSA300) with Very High dispersion tolerance.