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.     

Fluoride-based erbium-doped fiber amplifier with inherently flat gain spectrum

We successfully developed a fluoride-based Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier (F-EDFA). An average signal gain of 26 dB was achieved for 8 channel wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) signals in the 1532-1560 nm wavelength region with a gain excursion of less than 1.5 dB at an input signal power of -20 dBm per channel. Furthermore, we studied the amplification characteristics of the F-EDFA for WDM signals. The following experimental results were obtained. (1) For an 8-channel WDM signal in the 1532 to 1560 nm wavelength region, the gain excursion between channels can be suppressed to within 1.5 dB. However, the wavelength region allowing a gain excursion of 1.5 dB, is between 1536-1560 nm for the silica-based Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier. (2) F-EDFAs have a flat gain region between 1534-1542 nm. The gain excursion of this region is less than 0.2 dB for WDM signals.     

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.     

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.     

Broad-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier with double-passconfiguration

We demonstrate a broad-band silica-based erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) with double-pass configuration. The signal gain and noise figure are obtained more than 24 dB and less than 6 dB, respectively, for 1526-1562 nm and 1569-1605 nm. The same signal gain can be achieved with 53% less pump power and 45% shorter erbium-doped fiber length, compared to a conventional parallel type EDFA. Furthermore, the noise figure and power conversion efficiency are improved for the wavelength range     

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.     

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%.     

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.     

Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fiber amplifier module pumped by a fiber coupled master oscillator/power amplifier laser diode

We constructed the first Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fiber amplifier (PDFA) module pumped by a fiber-coupled master oscillator/power amplifier laser diode (MOPA-LD) operating at 1.017 /spl mu/m. The maximum signal gain and noise figure were 30.5 and 5.5 dB, respectively. An output power of 18 dBm was achieved at an input signal power of 0 dBm. Furthermore, we showed that the use of MOPA-LD pumping, rather than conventional Nd-YLF laser pumping, makes it possible to halve the length of the Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride required in the amplifier module and also allows a broader spectral bandwidth to be achieved.     

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.     

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.     

New pump wavelength of 1540-nm band for long-wavelength-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (L-band EDFA)

A long-wavelength-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (L-band EDFA) using a pump wavelength source of 1540-nm band has been extensively investigated from a small single channel input signal to high-power wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signals. The small-signal gain coefficient of 1545-nm pumping among the 1540-nm band is 2.25 times higher compared to the conventional 1480-nm pumping. This improvement in gain coefficient is not limited by the pumping direction. The cause for this high coefficient is explained by analyzing forward- and backward-amplified spontaneous emission spectra. The gain spectra as a function of a pump wavelength suggest that a broadband pump source as well as a single wavelength pump can be used as a 1540-nm-band pump. In the experiment for high-power WDM signals, the power conversion efficiency for 256 WDM channel input is 48.5% with 1545-nm pumping. This result shows more than 20% improvement compared with the previous highest value for the L-band EDFA. Finally, the 1545-nm bidirectionally pumped EDFA is applied as a second stage amplifier in an in-line amplifier of an optical communication link with a 1480-nm pumped first stage EDFA, in which the input power of the second-stage EDFA is +2.2 dBm. The power conversion efficiency yields a 38% improvement without noise figure degradation compared with the case of 1480-nm pumping.     

980 nm 和1480 nm 抽运下铋基EDFA放大特性的比较研究

The population rate and power propagation equations are presented and solved to compare the amplification performances of bismuth-based Er3+-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) pumped by 980-and 1480-nm lasers,respectively.In both single signal and coarse wavelength-division-multiplexing(CWDM)signals inputs,the 1480-nm pumped bismuth-based EDFA provides a larger signal gain than the 980-nm pumped one does,whereas the latter provides a relatively lower noise figure (NF).Comparative results indicate that the 1480-nm pumping scheme is more advantageous for bismuth-based EDFA regarding the band width and gain property.     

High-gain coefficient long-wavelength-band erbium-doped fiberamplifier using 1530-nm band pump

A 1530-nm band has been studied as a pump wavelength for the long-wavelength-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (L-band EDFA). The pump source is built using a tunable light source and cascaded conventional-band (C-band) EDFA. The L-band EDFA uses a forward pumping scheme. Within the 1530-nm band, the 1545-nm pump demonstrates 0.45-dB/mW gain coefficient, which is twice better than that of conventional 1480-nm pumped EDFA. The noise figure of the 1530-nm pump is at worst 6.36 dB, which is 0.75 dB higher than that of the 1480-nm pumped EDFA. Such high-gain coefficient indicates that the L-band EDFA consumes low power     

Experimental characterization of a dynamically gain-flattened erbium-doped fiber amplifier

We have designed and experimentally characterized an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) which possesses a wavelength-independent gain spectrum, independent of the operating level of the gain (dynamic gain flatness), and without requiring any gain-level-dependent control of any parameters. In the wavelength range 1542-1552 nm, the gain was flat to within the experimental uncertainties of /spl plusmn/0.3 dB even as the gain level changed by 17 dB. The EDFA was based on a low-Al-content alumino-germanosilicate EDF and a Mach-Zehnder filter. We believe that this type of EDFA, which has not been demonstrated before, can significantly simplify the design of amplified wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems and increase the robustness of long-distance WDM transmission.     

1.49-/spl mu/m-band gain-shifted thulium-doped fiber amplifier for WDM transmission systems

This paper describes in detail the amplification characteristics of gain-shifted thulium-doped fiber amplifiers (GS-TDFAs) operating in the 1480to 1510-nm wavelength region (1.49-/spl mu/m S-band) for use in wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) systems. Gain shifting of a TDFA, which normally has a gain band at 1.47 /spl mu/m (S/sup +/-band), is achieved by two types of dual-wavelength pumping: (1) 1.05 and 1.56 /spl mu/m or (2) 1.4 and 1.56 /spl mu/m. The main pump source at 1.05 or 1.4 /spl mu/m creates population inversion between /sup 3/F/sub 4/ (upper laser level) and /sup 3/H/sub 4/ (lower laser level), while the auxiliary pump source at 1.56 /spl mu/m reduces the average fractional inversion down to approximately 0.4, which is a desired level for gain shifting. We show experimentally that the former provides a low internal noise figure (<4 dB) due to high fractional inversion at the input end of a thulium fiber, while the latter provides a very high optical efficiency but a higher internal noise figure (/spl sim/5 dB) due to the lower fractional inversion at the input end. These characteristics were verified by numerical simulation based on a comprehensive rate equation modeling. We demonstrated a 1.4- and 1.56-/spl mu/m laser-diode-pumped GS-TDFA with an optical efficiency of 29.3% and high output power of +21.5 dBm. Gain flatness and tilt control were also investigated. These results strongly confirm the feasibility of using GS-TDFAs in practical ultralarge-capacity WDM networks.     

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.     

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.     

Ultra-wide-band tellurite-based fiber Raman amplifier

We describe the first wide-band tellurite-based fiber Raman amplifier (T-FRA) for application to seamless ultra-large-capacity dense wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems. First, we confirmed that the Raman scattering characteristics of the tellurite-based fiber has so large a gain coefficient and Stokes shift that we can achieve a wide-band tellurite-based fiber Raman amplifier with a shorter fiber length than when using silica-based fiber. Second, we investigated the small signal gain and the signal transmission characteristics for a high gain and high output power operation with a single-stage amplifier. Focusing on double Rayleigh scattering, we compared the high gain limit of tellurite- and silica-based fibers. We then studied the impact of nonlinear effects by measuring the bit error rate (BER) when using a two-stage amplifier with a high output power of 18.8 dBm in which we simultaneously amplified eight channel signals in the L-band located on the ITU 100-GHz grid. Finally, we designed a wide-band tellurite-based fiber Raman amplifier with a multiwavelength band pumping scheme. We constructed this amplifier with a tellurite-based fiber only 250 m in length pumped by four-wavelength-channel laser diodes, and it provided a 160-nm bandwidth with a gain of over 10 dB and a noise figure below 10 dB from 1490 to 1650 nm. We also measured the BER to confirm the transmission characteristics of the amplifier for single channel operation over the whole signal wavelength range of 160 nm. We thus confirmed that the amplifier could be employed in ultra-high-capacity WDM systems.     

Plug-in type 1.3-/spl mu/m fiber amplifier module for rack-mounted shelves

We have successfully developed a plug-in type PDFA module for rack mounted shelves which is assembled on a printed-board. In this module, we use a newly developed Pr/sup 3+/-doped high-NA PbF/sub 2//InF/sub 3/-based fluoride fiber and wavelength stabilized 1.017-/spl mu/m laser diodes (LDs). We have obtained a small-signal gain of 24 dB and a noise figure of 6.6 dB at 1.30 /spl mu/m with an LD drive current of 240 mA/spl times/2. We achieved an output power of 10 dBm with a signal input power of 0 dBm. The total power consumption of this module, including that of a Peltier cooler, was 3.5 W when the LD drive current was 240 mA/spl times/2.