A low-noise and gain-flattened amplifier composed of a silica-based and a fluoride-based Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier in a cascade configuration

We propose a novel low noise and gain-flattened Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) with a cascade configuration for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signals. In this configuration, a 1480-nm pumped fluoride-based EDFA is joined to a 980-nm pumped silica-based EDFA through an optical isolator. By adjusting the silica-based Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber length in the silica-based EDFA, we realized an excellent flat gain EDFA with a gain excursion of less than 0.9 dB and noise figure of 5.7/spl plusmn/0.2 dB, and a low noise EDFA with a noise figure of 5/spl plusmn/0.2 dB and a gain excursion of less than 1.4 dB, for 8 channel WDM signal in the 1532-1560-nm wavelength region.     

Gain-flattened Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier for a WDM signal in the 1.57-1.60-/spl mu/m wavelength region

A gain-flattened Er/sup 3+/-doped silica-based fiber amplifier (EDFA) has been constructed for a 1.58-/spl mu/m band WDM signal. This EDFA exhibits uniform amplification characteristics with a gain excursion of 0.9 dB for a four-channel WDM signal in the 1.57-1.60 /spl mu/m wavelength region. The average signal gain and the noise figure for the WDM signal are 29.5 dB and less than 6.3 dB, respectively. The use of this EDFA in parallel with a 1.55-/spl mu/m band EDFA will expand the WDM transmission wavelength region.     

Novel Er and Ce codoped fluoride fiber amplifier for low-noise and high-efficient operation with 980-nm pumping

We demonstrate the low-noise and high-gain operation of a fluoride Er/sup 3+/ and Ce/sup 3+/ codoped fiber (F-ECDF) amplifier with 980-nm pumping. A 980-nm-pumped F-ECDF with a length of only 45 cm exhibits a noise figure of <4.5 dB in the entire C-band and a small signal gain of >20 dB with a gain ripple of <1 dB without any gain-flattening filter in the 1525-1560-nm range. Excitation spectra for the gain and noise figure of an F-ECDF exhibit flat shapes in the 974-982-nm range. We also demonstrate that the gain coefficient reaches 1.4 dB/mW and the power conversion efficiency is 27.4% at 1532 nm for a 2.25-m-long F-ECDF.     

8-mV threshold Er/sup 3+/-doped planar waveguide amplifier

We report on the gain characteristics of a low threshold (8 mW) Er/sup 3+/-doped planar optical waveguide amplifier. Net fiber to fiber gain of 4.5 dB is achieved at a signal wavelength of 1536 nm with 80 mW of 980-nm pump power. This device represents significant progress toward a planar amplifier module pumped by a single laser diode.     

Optimum parameter design of Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber for optical amplifiers

The parameters of Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber which optimize the signal gain of a fiber amplifier pumped by a 1.48- mu m laser diode are theoretically determined using the rate equation for a three-level laser system. The basic parameters specified are the relative-index difference and the cutoff wavelength. The optimum cutoff wavelength of a completely Er/sup 3+/-doped core fiber with a step-index profile is 0.8 mu m regardless of the value of the relative-index difference. The optimum cutoff wavelength depends on the Er/sup 3+/-doped area radius.<>     

16-channel optical FDM distribution/transmission experiment utilising Er/sup 3+/-doped fibre amplifier

A 16-channel optical FDM distribution/transmission experiment at around 1534 nm wavelength is demonstrated utilising an Er/sup 3+/-doped fibre amplifier. 16 intensity-modulated optical signals at 622 Mbit/s were amplified simultaneously at a gain of 15.2-18.5 dB. One of the amplified signals is selected using the waveguide frequency selection switch and directly detected with a receiver sensitivity of -38 dBm (P/sub e/=10/sup -9/).<>     

35-dB gain Tm-doped ZBLYAN fiber amplifier operating at 1.65 /spl mu/m

We demonstrate the first high gain rare-earth-doped fiber amplifier operating at 1.65 /spl mu/m. It consists of ZBLYAN fiber with a Tm/sup 3+/-doped core and Tb/sup 3+/-doped cladding, pumped by 1.22 /spl mu/m laser diodes. It is possible to achieve efficient amplification with Tm/sup 3+/ ions if their amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in the 1.75 to 2.0 /spl mu/m wavelength region is suppressed by doping Tb/sup 3+/ ions in the cladding. A two-stage-type fiber amplifier is constructed and a signal gain of 35 dB is achieved for a pump power of 140 mW. A gain over 25 dB is realized in the 1.65 /spl mu/m to 1.67 /spl mu/m wavelength region.     

碲基掺铒光纤放大器增益均衡的数值模拟

针对宽带碲基掺铒光纤放大器(EDTFA)本征增益谱不平坦特性,研究了采用双级串连结构,并在两段光纤中间加入增益均衡滤波器来实现增益平坦.模拟结果显示,通过设计一定结构的滤波谱,在37信道同时输入的情况下,铒离子掺杂浓度为4000 ppm时,使1536～1608 nm范围带宽内的增益达到了24 dB左右,噪声指数小于5.5 dB,增益谱的不平坦度小于1 dB;铒离子掺杂浓度为6000 ppm时,使1536～1608 nm范围带宽内的增益达到了23.5 dB左右.噪声指数小于5 dB,增益谱的不平坦度小于1dB.优化后的级连EDTFA可以满足WDM系统的要求.     

Finely tunable 10-Gb/s signal wavelength conversion from 1530 to 1560-nm region using a super structure grating distributed Bragg reflector laser

Finely tunable wavelength conversion of a 10-Gb/s signal is demonstrated to wavelengths ranged from 1530 to 1560 nm with spacings of 0.5 nm and accuracy of /spl plusmn/0.05 nm, where the Er/sup 3+/ doped optical fiber amplifier has optical gain, by using a super structure grating distributed Bragg reflector laser. Transmission of a wavelength-converted 10-Gb/s signal within the entire target wavelength range over a 100-km optical fiber is also demonstrated using a dispersion-shifted optical fiber.     

Experimental measurement of gain in erbium-doped fluoride fiber amplifier in the 850-nm signal band

In this letter, we report an efficient single-mode Er/sup 3+/ doped fluoride fiber amplifier (EDFFA) in the 850 mn signal band. The Ti-sapphire laser was used to pump the EDFFA at 792 mm with an estimated absorbed pump power of 35 mW. The EDFFA used a 4.2 meter long NA=0.39, /spl lambda//sub c/=850 nm fluoride fiber as the active medium. A peak gain of 25 dB was observed at 852 mm. The gain was measured for a 10 nm region between 847.5 mn and 857.5 nm. The 3 dB gain bandwidth is less than 3 nm. However, the gain exceeded 20 dB over wavelength region of at least 7.5 nm. The gain and the gain bandwidth can be further increased by optimizing the length of the active fiber.     

Performance of a high concentration Er/sup 3+/-doped alumino silicate fiber amplifier

We report the gain, noise figure, output saturation power, and conversion efficiency of a highly concentrated Er/sup 3+/-doped alumino silicate fiber amplifier. We obtain a gain per unit length of 1.0 dB/cm, which corresponds to the highest gain per unit length obtained in an Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier. The pump power threshold ranges from 2 to 5 mW, depending on the fiber length.     

S-band erbium-doped silica fibre amplifier with flattened-gain ofover 21 dB

A gain-flattened erbium-doped silica fibre amplifier (EDSFA) has been developed for amplifying WDM signals in the S-band. The EDSFA exhibits a signal gain of over 21 dB, a gain excursion of less than 1.9 dB, and a noise figure of less than 6.7 dB in the 1491-1518 nm wavelength range     

Theoretical analysis of gain characteristics of Er/sup 3+/-Tm/sup 3+/-codoped tellurite fiber amplifier

The rate and power propagation equations of Er/sup 3+/ and Tm/sup 3+/-codoped tellurite fiber amplifier pumped by 800-nm laser are presented and solved to analyze the dependences of gain at both 1470 and 1530 nm on the codoping concentration of Er/sup 3+/ and Tm/sup 3+/, fiber length, and input signal power. The numerical results show that with pump power of 200 mW and fiber length of 1.5 m, the gain at both 1470 and 1530 nm may reach 12.0 dB when the codoping concentration of Er/sup 3+/ and Tm/sup 3+/ reach 4.0/spl times/10/sup 25/ ions/m/sup 3/, 3.2/spl times/10/sup 25/ ions/m/sup 3/, respectively. The fiber length and codopant concentrations are proposed to make the two channels equivalently amplified.     

1.58-/spl mu/m broad-band erbium-doped tellurite fiber amplifier

This paper describes the development of a 1.58-/spl mu/m broad-band and gain-flattened erbium-doped tellurite fiber amplifier (EDTFA). First, we compare the spectroscopic properties of various glasses including the stimulated emission cross sections of the Er/sup 3+4/ I/sub 13/2/ /sup 4/I/sub 15/2/ transition and the signal excited-state absorption (ESA) cross sections of the Er/sup 3+4/ I/sub 13/2/ - /sup 4/I/sub 9/2/ transition. We detail the amplification characteristics of a 1.58-/spl mu/m-band EDTFA designed for wavelength-division-multiplexing applications by comparing it with a 1.58-/spl mu/m-band erbium-doped silica fiber amplifier. Furthermore, we describe the 1.58-/spl mu/m-band gain-flattened EDTFA we developed using a fiber-Bragg-grating-type gain equalizer. We achieved a gain of 25.3 dB and a noise figure of less than 6 dB with a slight gain excursion of 0.6 dB over a wide wavelength range of 1561-1611 nm. The total output power of the EDTFA module was 20.4 dBm and its power conversion efficiency reached 32.8%.     

Hybrid fiber amplifiers consisting of cascaded TDFA and EDFA for WDM signals

The detailed gain characteristics of hybrid fiber amplifiers that consist of cascaded thulium-doped fiber amplifiers (TDFAs) and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are reported. The experimental results showed that the hybrid amplifiers have gains of over 20 dB with the bandwidth of more than 80 nm in the wavelength range between 1460 and 1560 nm. The low noise figure (NF) below 7 dB was obtained in 1460-1540 nm when placing a TDFA in the first stage followed by an EDFA and in 1480-1560 nm when placing amplifiers in a reversed order. The gain of TDFA and EDFA was optimized for minimizing the gain variation ratio (GVR=(maximumgain-minimumgain)/minimumgain: in the unit of decibels) of the hybrid amplifiers, and it could be minimized to less than 0.4 for the amplifiers that have gain in the wavelength region from 1460 to 1537 nm. The gain-equalization technique was applied, and the hybrid amplifier that had an average gain of 20 dB, a gain excursion of less than 2 dB, an output power of 14.5 dBm, and an NF of less than 7 dB in the 77-nm gain band was achieved.     

A compact high-performance optical waveguide amplifier

A glass waveguide amplifier was constructed in an Er/sup 3+/- and Yb/sup 3+/-doped phosphate glass. The waveguide channels were defined via a field-assisted Ag/sup +/ diffusion process. A net gain of 4.1 dB was measured at 1534 nm in a 3-mm length waveguide.     

980 nm band pumped Er/sup 3+/-doped tellurite-based fibre amplifier with low-noise figure of less than 4.5 dB

The amplification characteristics of an Er/sup 3+/-doped tellurite-based fibre amplifier (EDTFA) with 980 nm band pumping are described. The optimum pump wavelength and length of the newly developed EDTF are investigated in order to obtain both a low noise figure and a high gain simultaneously. We realise a low noise figure of less than 4.5 dB with a pump wavelength of 976.5 nm and a 0.4 m EDTF.     

Noise characteristics of Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fibre amplifier

The noise characteristics of a Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fibre amplifier (PDFFA) are reported for the first time. Using an amplifier with a 20 dB gain, a noise figure of 3.2 dB is obtained at a wavelength of 1.31 mu m at an amplified output signal power between -18 and -2 dBm. However, it is observed that the noise figure increases when the signal wavelength is above 1.32 mu m.<>     

Performances of Erbium‐Doped Fiber Amplifier Using 1530nm‐Band Pump for Long Wavelength Multichannel Amplification

The performance of a long wavelength‐band erbium‐doped fiber amplifier (L‐band EDFA) using 1530nm‐band pumping has been studied. A 1530nm‐band pump source is built using a tunable light source and two C‐band EDFAs in cascaded configuration, which is able to deliver a maximum output power of 23dBm. Gain coefficient and noise figure (NF) of the L‐band EDFA are measured for pump wavelengths between 1530nm and 1560nm. The gain coefficient with a 1545nm pump is more than twice as large as with a 1480nm pump. It indicates that the L‐band EDFA consumes low power. The noise figure of 1530nm pump is 6.36dB at worst, which is 0.75dB higher than that of 1480nm pumped EDFA. The optimum pump wavelength range to obtain high gain and low NF in the 1530nm band appears to be between 1530nm and 1540nm. Gain spectra as a function of a pump wavelength have bandwidth of more than 10nm so that a broadband pump source can be used as 1530nm‐band pump. The L‐band EDFA is also tested for WDM signals. Flat Gain bandwidth is 32nm from 1571.5 to 1603.5nm within 1dB excursion at input signal of –10dBm/ch. These results demonstrate that 1530nm‐band pump can be used as a new efficient pump source for L‐band EDFAs.     

Enhancement of fluorescence emission and signal gain at 1.53 µm in Er3+/Ce3+ co-doped tellurite glass fiber

Er3+/Ce3+ co-doped tellurite glasses with composition of TeO2-GeO2-Li2O-Nb2O5 were prepared using conventional melt-quenching technique for potential applications in Er3+-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The absorption spectra, up-conversion spectra and 1.53 µm band fluorescence spectra of glass samples were measured. It is shown that the 1.53 µm band fluorescence emission intensity of Er3+-doped tellurite glass fiber is improved obviously with the introduction of an appropriate amount of Ce3+, which is attributed to the energy transfer (ET) from Er3+ to Ce3+. Meanwhile, the 1.53 µm band optical signal amplification is simulated based on the rate and power propagation equations, and an increment in signal gain of about 2.4 dB at 1 532 nm in the Er3+/Ce3+ co-doped tellurite glass fiber is found. The maximum signal gain reaches 29.3 dB on a 50 cm-long fiber pumped at 980 nm with power of 100 mW. The results indicate that the prepared Er3+/Ce3+ co-doped tellurite glass is a good gain medium applied for 1.53 µm broadband and high-gain EDFA.