[December 12, 2012]

KYOCERA Develops Temperature Characteristics-Free Etalon Filter

Kyocera (News - Alert) Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Kyocera Crystal Device Corporation, in charge of development and manufacturing of crystal devices, has succeeded in developing a temperature characteristics-free etalon filter - a crystal device which has applied the atomic diffusion bonding technique for the first time in the industry^*1.

An etalon filter is a component which detects deviations in multiple light wavelengths in high-capacity optical communication transmissions systems. For this new product, Kyocera Crystal Device has realized a temperature characteristics-free etalon filter with high-accuracy, high-reliability and smaller size due to its success in developing a crystal device applying the atomic diffusion bonding technique. The product will be available on a sample basis starting January 2013.

Main Features

1. Industry-leading product specifications enable freedom from temperature characteristics

The new product has achieved an industry-leading level of temperature characteristics of ±0.15pm/°C. This was achieved by applying a design technique combining positive temperature characteristic crystals with negative temperature characteristic crystals and an advanced crystal processing technique, along with industry's first application of the atomic diffusion bonding technique. Furthermore, since the temperature characteristics-free etalon filter does not require a Peltier device for temperature adjustment, it can contribute to downsizing and energy conservation in tunable laser modules.

2. Industry's first crystal device to apply atomic diffusion bonding technique

The atomic diffusion bonding technique is a direct bonding technique developed by Tohoku University's Professor Takehito Shimatsu. It entails bonding the wafer and substrate together without applying heat, pressure or voltage, nor using organic adhesives. Through the joint-development with Professor Shimatsu's research group, Kyocera Crystal Device has succeeded in bonding a crystal wafer in an extremely thin metal film thickness of several atomic layers to several dozen nanometers^*2 with high strength by applying the atomic diffusion bonding technique for crystal devices. This method has solved the problems of optical contact^*3, a conventional bonding method with lower bonding strength, and that of bonding using organic adhesive, for which the management of bonding thickness is difficult. It has also improved accuracy and reliability while reducing the size of the etalon filter.

Development Background

An etalon filter is a component which monitors whether oscillation of light wavelength is steadily conducted in the tunable laser module - an essential device used for high-capacity optical communication transmission systems - which transforms electric signals to optical signals for oscillation.

In recent years, optical communication has become increasingly essential to achieve higher capacity and higher transmission speeds with the dramatic increase in information volume due to the rapid spread of the Internet and transmission of high-volume data. To respond to such requirements, the utilization of the WDM^*4 transmission system, which can transmit more optical signals (information volume) with one piece of optical fiber, has become the mainstream method. Since a WDM transmission system requires many tunable laser modules for each station from mid- to long-distance to short-distance transmissions, further reduction in size and electric power consumption is required.

As the product does not require a Peltier device for temperature control due to the aforementioned features, it can contribute to reduction in the size and electric power consumption of tunable laser modules. Even with its small size, this product has realized freedom from temperature characteristics, high accuracy and high reliability, and has superior stability against changes in external temperature.

Kyocera Crystal Device has an integrated production system, in which all the processes from cultivation of crystal materials to design, processing, coating and characteristics evaluation are all conducted internally. The company will continue to enhance its support of optical transmission-related fields in order to contribute to the further progress and development of high-capacity, high-speed optical communications networks.

^*1 As of November 15, 2012. Based on a survey by Kyocera Crystal Device.
^*2 1 nanometer (nm) = 1.0x10^-9m.
^*3 Bonding method that does not use adhesive but bonds flat surfaces of the wafer together.
^*4 WDM: Wavelength Division Multiplexing. A communication technology that utilizes optical fiber.

For see more info and images of this product: http://global.kyocera.com/news/2012/1202_hina.html

About KYOCERA

Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of electronic components, semiconductor packages, telecommunications equipment, solar power generating systems, printers, copiers, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2012, the company's net sales totaled 1.19 trillion yen (approx. USD14.5 billion). The company is ranked #426 on Forbes magazine's 2012 "Global 2000" listing of the world's largest publicly traded companies.

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