As an early player in PXI and a committed supporter of the standard, we at PXIT believed in the power and opportunity presented by an open architecture instrument platform. Our goal is to take PXI into new application areas by providing key enabling, specialist modules and allowing the user to take advantage of the growing range of market agnostic modules already available in PXI. In other words, because our specialist modules are open architecture, the user can readily combine them with a wide range of measurement and automation modules to provide a complete solution based on his chosen software environment. Furthermore, he can do this in the certain knowledge that his solution is adaptable and scaleable in the future. PXIT has leveraged PXI to provide high-speed modular test solutions for photonic component manufacturers. A key Photonic element is the Laser Diode/Light Emitting Diode, which acts as the transmitter of modulated light. These parts come in many forms - from $5K widely tuneable Laser Diodes used in flexible optical networks through to $1 LED's used with Plastic Optical Fibre (POF) in automotive, consumer, or home datacomms applications. Low cost lasers are now widely used in data storage and high brightness LED's are also used in lighting and displays. All have to be tested and characterized at multiple stages in the manufacturing process. To address this need, PXIT have released a family of PXI modules that perform this test and characterization function with much greater efficiency (100 times faster) than commercially based equivalents. The initial family comprises modules that provide Laser/LED control, Optical Power Measurement, Optical Switching, Optical Attenuation, and TEC Control. These modules can also be seen as building blocks within more complex process automation systems where, for instance, the photonic manufacturer may need to align an optical fiber with a component. In this case the integrator can choose PXI modules for motion control and vision from other suppliers and combine them with PXIT's measurement modules in open architecture hardware and software environments. PXIT is enhancing this product range by developing further high-speed photonic instrument modules to provide, wavelength measurement, a tuneable laser source, and additional current/voltage source modules. These modules, either individually or in combination address many of the testing needs of photonic component manufacturers, as well as offering strong advantages to solution providers.
|
