December 09, 2010
Recent advances in fiber-optic technology have led to a growing demand for optical data links and sensors in aerospace and defense applications. In comparison with copper-based data links, which have been deployed extensively in military applications, fiber-optic data links offer a number of advantages. The following discussion examines some of the benefits and limitations of traditional fiber-optic components for aerospace and defense, how new Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) technology is revolutionizing this market, and how PLC technology is being deployed in next-generation systems.