Optical Communications and Photonics laboratory at IT – Aveiro is the leading optical transmission research lab in Portugal. We have four free standing optical benches: Optical Communication, Optical Sensoring, Free Space Optics, Quantum Photonics.
 In Optical Communication laboratory, we are currently focused on investigating the performance of ultra-high capacity access and core networks. Advanced modulation formats (e.g DP-QPSK, DP-mQAM, DP-OFDM etc.) in conjunction with coherent detection for 100-400 Gb/s systems are characterized over several thousand transmission distances. In addition, transmission performance of wavelength division multiplexed systems with signal pulse shaping are evaluated using linear and nonlinear digital signal processing in our optical fibre recirculating loop test-bed. 

This optical laboratory is equipped with:

• Optical Network Analyzer (Agilent, 86038B, 2006)
• 8 ECL tunable lasers (Photonetics OSICS 2001, 2006)
• 13 DFB WDM system (EXFO, IQS510P, 2006)
• Several Optical amplifiers (2006)
• Several optical receivers up to 40 Gbit/s
• In house assembled reconfigurable optical recirculating loop
• 50 GHz/40 Gbit/s Digital electrical/optical Sampling Oscilloscope (Agilent 86100B, 2002)
• Optical signal analyzer (temporal and spectral), (Apex technologies, AP2441A, 2006)
• 50 Gbit/s optical BER tester (SHF, 10000B, 2007)
• 13.5 Gbit/s BER tester (Agilent, N4901B, 2004)
• 3.3 Gbit/s BER tester (HP, 70842B, 1993)
• 160 GHz UOC Ultrafast optical clock (Pritel, OUC, 2006)
• High frequency digital sampling oscilloscope (60 GHz), (Tektronix, TDS8200, 2007)
• Tuneable and bandwidth adjustable optical filter (NETTEST, XTRACT, 2007)
• 1 W Raman pump module (Amonics, ARA-CL-4B-R, 2008)
• Optical spectrum analyzer (Anritsu MS9601A, 1993)
• Optical spectrum analyzer (Advantest Q8384, 2004)
• 20 GHz Digital Sampling Oscilloscope (HP, 54120B, 1993)
• 2 optical test beds: Access within Aveiro city and long haul to Lisbon.
• 1GHz to 50GHz Signal Generator (Rohde & Schwarz, SMR50, 2006)
• 640Gb/s Optical Signal Oscilloscope (PicoSolve, PSO101, 2009)
• Raman Fiber Laser (IPG Fibertech, RLR-10k-1480, 2008)
• Single Photon Detector Module (id Quantique, id200, 2006)
• Single Photon Detector Module (id Quantique, id201, 2007)
• Several Power Meters
• Laser TLS (Thorlabs, INTUN TL 1550B, 2007)
• SOP Locker SMF (Thorlabs, PL100S, 2008)
• OTDR (EXFO, AXS-100, 2009)
• Several Laser Controllers
• Several Temperature controllers
• 2x Fusion Splicer (Fujikura, FSM-60S, 2009/2011)
• Fusion Splicer (Fitel, S242, 2006)
• Climatic Chamber (Angelantoni, CH340, 2006)
• Digital Transmission Analyzer (Ando, AP-9850)
• Lightwave Component Analyzer (HP, 8702A)
• Laser Beam Profiler (Newport, LBP-1-USB, 2006)
• Motion Controller  (Newport, XPS, 2006)
• 4x Linear Stages (Newport, MFACC, 2x 2006 and 2x 2009)
• Linear Stage (Newport, M-ILS150CC, 2006)
• 2x Linear Stages (Newport, UTS150PP, 2007 and 2008)
• Linear Stage (Newport, UTS50PP, 2009)
• Motion Controller (Aerotech, ABL2000, 2006)
• Linear Stage (Aerotech, DR500, 2006)
• SDH Access Tester (JDSU, ANT-5, 2009)
• High Power Excimer Laser (248nm pulsed) (Coherent, BraggStar Industrial – LN, 2007)
• Fiber Polishing Machine (Krell Technologies, REV, 2008)
• Fiber Video Microscope (Aefos, AFM3)
• High-Temperature Thermal Imaging Camera (Flir, i50, 2008)
• Ellipsometer (Horiba, AUTO SE, 2009)
• 3x Sealed Hole Table Top with Tuned Damping (Newport, RS4000, 2006; NRC, KL-A; Melles Griot, 070TI020)
• Network Tester (IXIA, XM12, 2009)
• Function Generator (Tektronics, AFG3101, 2010)
• Optical Sensing Interrogator (Micron Optics, SM125, 2010)
• ASE Source C + L Band (Amonics, ALS-CL-17-B-FA, 2010)
• Motion Controller (ThorLabs, MMR602, 2010)
• 2x 6-Axis NanoMax NanoPositioner (ThorLabs, MAX607L/M/FPXYZ-SP, 2009)
• 50GS/s Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope (Tektronics, DPO72004B, 2010)
• 2x Electric polarization controllers (General Photonics, PCD-M02, 2011)
• Optical channel monitor – OSNR (Aegis, OCM 2550, 2011)
• Optical spectrum analyzer (EXFO, FTB-500, 2011)
• Programmable optical filter (Finisar, WaveShaper 4000S, 2011)
• DFB Laser with PM fiber– Line width 1MHz (JDSU, CQF975, 2011)
• 3x Direct Modulation Laser Source (JDSU, CQF413, 2011)
• 3x 10Gbps APD Receiver (Oclaro, AT10XGC, 2011)
• 3x Tunable Receiver 10Gbps (Aegis, IWSP, 2011)
• 3x Tunable Laser (ChemOptics, TLC-13, 2011)
• 100Gbps Coherent Receiver (Picometrix, CR-100A, 2011)
• 4x 40GHz RF driver (SHF, 807, 2011)
• 40GHz RF driver (Photline, DR-AN40-MO, 2012)
• 10Gbps APD Receiver (Discovery Semiconductors, DSC-R402APD-AC-39, 2012)
• 2x 10Gbps PIN Receiver (Discovery Semiconductors, DSC-R402AC-39, 2011/2012)
• 2x Tunable Laser – Line width 100kHz (Emcore, TTX1994, 2012)
• 40Gbps Phase Modulator (Photline, MPZ-LN-40-PPFAFA, 2012)
• 22.5GHz I/Q Modulator (Sumitomo, T-SBX1.5-10-Y-Z, 2012)
• Coincidence detector (AIT, TTM8000, 2012)
• Magnetic Stirrer and Heater (Wuanghua Faithful Instrument CO, SH-2, 2012)
• Laser Beam Profiler (Duma Optronics Ldt., BeamOn IR1550, 2012)
• 30mW HeCd laser (325nm CW) (Kimmon Koha Co., Ltd, IK3301R-G, 2012)
• Polarimeter (ThorLabs, TXP5004 + PAN5710IR3, 2013)
• 100Gbps Coherent Receiver (Picometrix, CR-100D, 2014)
• 22.5GHz I/Q Modulator (U2T, SCMO2125, 2014)
• 32 Gbaud High Speed DAC (SHF, 611B, 2014)
• Laser TLS – Line width 100kHz (Yenista, TLS-AG, 2014)
• 35 MHz Acousto-Optic Modulator with Driver (Neos Technologies, R26035, 2014)
• Arbitrary Waveform Generator - 65 GSa/s (Keysight, M8195A, 2014)
• PC Oscilloscope (Picoscope, 6403D, 2015)