Emcore Corporation, a leading provider of Indium Phosphide (InP) optical chips, components, subsystems and systems for the broadband and specialty fiber optics market, announced that it has been awarded a $3 million contract to supply Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG) modules to a major U.S. prime contractor for use in airborne navigation systems applications. The contract is for FOG modules based on Emcore’s EMP series that are expected to be shipped this year with the potential for additional FOG shipments totaling $15 million over a five-year period.
Emcore’s FOG modules feature advanced integrated optics and closed-loop Digital Signal Processing (DSP) electronics to deliver higher accuracy, lower noise, greater efficiency, improved drift stability and higher linearity than competing technologies. They leverage our core Mixed-Signal technology with both analog and digital circuits combined on multiple chips, or even a single chip. Mixed-Signal technology is at the heart of all Emcore products and requires a specialized expertise which is unique in the optics industry.
Emcore FOGs are designed to operate over a broad distance range with a typical bias drift from .05 to .01 degrees per hour. Bias drift is an important measure of accuracy and precision of the FOG, with lower bias models delivering higher performance overall. These performance specifications are ideal for demanding airborne navigation systems applications. Emcore’s FOG technology also has broad application for land-based and maritime navigation systems.
“With the advancements in integrated optical packaging and rate sensor technology in our latest generation of FOGs, Emcore has been able to achieve noise values that are two-times lower than the traditional implementation of FOG technology,” said Dr. K.K. Wong, Director of Fiber Optic Gyro Products for Emcore. “This provides us a price-performance advantage that has enabled us to achieve deeper penetration into the market for airborne navigation and aeronautic systems applications,” added Dr. Wong.
“This is a very important contract award for our navigation sensor business,” commented Jeffrey Rittichier, Emcore’s President and CEO. “This is an important validation of our Mixed-Signal optics strategy, and an application where we expect to see significant growth potential over the next several years. We are extremely pleased to win this contract, and to supply our FOG modules in volume to one of our most valued customers.”
