S/N and error rate performance in AlGaAs semiconductor laser preamplifier and linear repeater systems

The applications of AlGaAs semiconductor laser preamplifier and linear repeaters in single mode optical fiber transmission systems were studied through the baseband signal-to-noise ratio and bit error rate performance measurement. Experiments were carried out with the Fabry-Perot cavity laser amplifiers whose characteristics are improved by reducing the input mirror reflectivity to 6 percent. The use of a preamplifier improves the minimum detectable power by 7.4 dB over the Si-APD direct detection level when the received signal is amplified by 30 dB before photodetection. The use of two linear repeaters increases the regenerative repeater gain by 37 dB. These experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions based on the photon statistic master equation analysis.     

S/N and Error Rate Performance in AlGaAs Semiconductor Laser Preamplifier and Linear Repeater Systems

The applications of AlGaAs semiconductor laser preamplifier and linear repeaters in single mode optical fiber transmission systems were studied through the baseband signal-to-noise ratio and bit error rate performance measurement. Experiments were carried out with the Fabry-Perot cavity laser amplifiers whose characteristics are improved by reducing the input mirror reflectivity to 6 percent. The use of a preamplifier improves the minimum detectable power by 7.4 dB over the Si-APD direct detection level when the received signal is amplified by 30 dB before photodetection. The use of two linear repeaters increases the regenerative repeater gain by 37 dB. These experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions based on the photon statistic master equation analysis.     

2-Gbit/s signal amplification at λ=1.53 μm in anerbium-doped single-mode fiber amplifier

The gain, saturation power, and noise of an erbium-doped single-mode traveling-wave fiber amplifier operating at a wavelength λ=1.53 μm are characterized. In continuous-wave (CW) measurements amplification at 2 Gbit/s was demonstrated with up to 17-dB gain for 1×10^-9 bit error rate at 1.531 μm and a 3-dB full bandwidth of 14 nm. From the determination of the fiber-amplifier's output signal-to-noise ratio versus input signal power during data transmission, it was concluded that, with signal levels used here, signal-spontaneous beat noise limited the receiver sensitivity improvement. With the fiber amplifier acting as an optical preamplifier of the receiver, the best sensitivity was -30 dBm, obtained after installing a polarizer at the fiber amplifier output to reject half of the applied spontaneous emission power. This sensitivity was 6 dB better than without the fiber amplifier, proving that the fiber amplifier can be used as a preamplifier     

Gain-shifted dual-wavelength-pumped thulium-doped fiber amplifierfor WDM signals in the 1.48-1.51-μm wavelength region

We constructed a gain-shifted dual-wavelength-pumped (1.05/1.56 μm) thulium doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) for wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) signals in the 1.48-1.51-μm, wavelength region. We obtained a gain of larger than 20 dB and a noise figure of less than 7 dB in the range from 1478 to 1505 nm. Amplifier saturated output power was +20.1 dBm with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 9.1% for 12-channel WDM signals. We also obtained a successful bit error rate performance for signals modulated at 10 Gb/s when the gain-shifted TDFA was used in an optical preamplifier configuration. These results confirm the feasibility of using the gain-shifted TDFA as both a booster and an optical preamplifier in WDM networks     

1.58-μm band gain-flattened erbium-doped fiber amplifiers forWDM transmission systems

This paper describes the amplification characteristics of gain-flattened Er³⁺-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) by using 0.98-μm and 1.48-μm band pumping for a 1.58-μm band WDM signal. Silica-based Er³⁺-doped fiber (S-EDF) and fluoride-based Er ³⁺-doped fiber (F-EDF) have gain-flattened wavelength ranges from 1570 to 1600 nm and from 1565 to 1600 nm, respectively, and exhibit uniform gain characteristics with gain excursions of 0.7 and 1.0 dB, and the figure of merit of the gain flatness (gain excursion/average signal gain) of 3 and 4.3%, respectively, for an eight-channel signal in the 1.58-μm band. We show that 1.48-μm band pumping has a better quantum conversion efficiency and gain coefficient, and that 0.98-μm band pumping is effective for improving the noise characteristics. We also show that the EDFAs consisting of two cascaded amplification units pumped in the 0.98-μm and 1.48-μm bands are effective in constructing low-noise and high-gain 1.58-μm band amplifiers     

S/N performance of an AlGaAs laser preamplifier and a linear repeater system

Baseband signal-to-noise-ratio characteristics in an AlGaAs laser preamplifier and a linear repeater system were studied theoretically and experimentally. The AlGaAs laser preamplifier improved the minimum detectable power by 1.6 dB over the level achieved by direct detection with an Si APD. 37 dB regenerative repeater gain was experimentally obtained in the system with two optical repeaters at 100 Mbit/s data rate.     

A 1.3/1.55-μm wavelength-division multiplexing optical moduleusing a planar lightwave circuit for full duplex operation

We developed a hybrid integrated optical module for 1.3/1.55-μm wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) full-duplex operation. The optical circuit was designed to suppress the optical and electrical crosstalk using a wavelength division multiplexing filter, and an optical crosstalk of -43 dB and an electrical crosstalk of -105 dB were achieved with a separation between the transmitter laser diode and the receiver photodiode of more than 9 mm. We used the optical circuit design to fabricate an optical module with a bare chip preamplifier in a package. This module exhibited a full duplex operation of 156 Mbit/s with a minimum sensitivity of -35.2 dBm at a bit error rate of 10^-10     

Concentration effect on optical amplification characteristics ofEr-doped silica single-mode fibers

Optical amplification characteristics for Er-doped silica core single-mode fiber amplifiers with different Er concentrations pumped by 1.48-μm-wavelength laser diodes are studied. Optical gain drastically depends on Er concentration, even when the Er concentration is less than 1000 p.p.m. In the case of the 40-mW incident pump power, the maximum net gain for the fiber containing 77 p.p.m. Er is higher than that for the fiber containing 970 p.p.m. Er by 11.4 dB     

Semiconductor laser diode optical amplifiers/gates in photonicpacket switching

In this paper, we will describe how semiconductor laser diode optical amplifiers/gates can be used in the photonic packet switching systems based on wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) techniques. First, we show that cross-gain modulation (XGM) can be suppressed when the device is used in the transparent condition of the waveguide material even when the input signal power exceeds +18 dBm. We then discuss an appropriate encoding for the optical signal. Experimental results show that high bit rate Manchester-encoding enables the use of semiconductor laser diode optical amplifiers/gates in the gain condition as well as the transparent condition. Finally, a new photonic packet receiver which utilizes a semiconductor laser diode optical amplifier as a packet power equalizer is proposed. This receiver accepts 17 dB power fluctuation at nanosecond speed for 10 Gb/s Manchester-encoded signal     

Gain monitoring of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers by detectingspontaneous emission

Gain monitoring by detecting the spontaneous emission (SE) emitted by 0.98-μm laser diode (LD) pumped erbium-doped fiber amplifiers was investigated using three erbium-doped fibers (EDF's) with different absorption coefficients at 1.55 μm (α). Unfavorable 0.98-μm scattered light was observed and removed by an optical filter. The minimum gain accuracy was less than ±0.21 dB for EDF-b (α=1.5 dB/m) with launched pump powers (P_p) from 10 to 30 mW. The minimum gain reproducibility over a 9-h period was ± 0.015 dB for EDF-a (α=3.3 dB/m) at P_p=20 mW     

A 50-Mbit/s CMOS monolithic optical receiver

A general-purpose CMOS optical receiver that operates at data rates from 1 to 50 Mb/s has been fabricated in a 1.75-μm CMOS process. The technology choice resulted in a high level of integration compared with similar bipolar technology receivers. The measured minimum signal current for a 10^-9 bit error rate at 50 Mb/s is 48-nA r.m.s. Automatic gain control gives the receiver an electrical input dynamic range of greater than 60 dB. The outputs are TTL (transistor-transistor logic)-compatible and the chip dissipates less than 500 mW when switching at maximum speed. The die area is 16 mm² . A comprehensive noise analysis of the receiver front end provides insight into the design tradeoffs of optical receiver preamplifiers. A wideband precision amplifier used in the linear channel is discussed in detail. A simple method for recovering low-frequency signal information lost in AC coupling is described     

Design of Hybrid Optical Amplifiers for High Capacity Optical Transmission

This paper describes our design of a hybrid amplifier composed of a distributed Raman amplifier and erbium‐doped fiber amplifiers for C‐ and L‐bands. We characterize the distributed Raman amplifier by numerical simulation based on the experimentally measured Raman gain coefficient of an ordinary single mode fiber transmission line. In single channel amplification, the crosstalk caused by double Rayleigh scattering was independent of signal input power and simply given as a function of the Raman gain. The double Rayleigh scattering induced power penalty was less than 0.1 dB after 1000 km if the on‐off Raman gain was below 21 dB. For multiple channel amplification, using commercially available pump laser diodes and fiber components, we determined and optimized the conditions of three‐wavelength Raman pumping for an amplification bandwidth of 32 nm for C‐band and 34 nm for L‐band. After analyzing the conventional erbium‐doped fiber amplifier analysis in C‐band, we estimated the performance of the hybrid amplifier for long haul optical transmission. Compared with erbium‐doped fiber amplifiers, the optical signal‐to‐noise ratio was calculated to be higher by more than 3 dB in the optical link using the designed hybrid amplifier.     

Experimental linewidth-insensitive coherent analog optical link

We constructed an experimental linewidth-insensitive coherent analog optical link. The transmitter utilizes an external electro-optic amplitude modulator and a semiconductor laser. The receiver consists of a heterodyne front-end, a wideband filter, square law detector and narrowband lowpass filter. We performed experimental measurements and theoretical analyses of the spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR), link gain and noise figure for both the coherent AM and the direct detection links; we investigated the dependencies of the foregoing parameters on the received optical signal power, laser linewidth, IF bandwidth, and the laser relative intensity noise (RIN). By selecting a wide enough bandpass filter, we made the coherent AM link insensitive to laser linewidth. The coherent AM link exhibits a higher SFDR than the corresponding direct detection link when the received optical signal power is less than 85 μW. The noise figure for the coherent link is greater than that for the direct detection link under all conditions investigated. For received optical signal powers greater than 4 μW, the link gain for the direct detection link is greater than that for the coherent AM link. The following are the link parameters that have been achieved for the coherent AM link investigated: SFDR=88 dB·Hz^2/3, link gain=-25 dB and noise figure=78 dB; this performance has been obtained with a received optical signal power of 85 μW, and a local oscillator power at the photodetector of 228 μW. The link performance can be further improved by auxiliary subsystems such as a balanced receiver and impedance matched transmitter and receiver ends; and/or by using better optical and electrical devices like higher power lasers, linearized optical modulators, low-noise and high gain RF amplifiers, and optical amplifiers,     

1.3-μm Pr-doped In-Ga-based fluoride fiber amplifiers pumped bygrating-fiber-pigtailed 0.98-μm-band laser diodes with a detunedwavelength of 1 μm

At most efficient pump wavelength, a praseodymium-doped In-Ga-based fluoride fiber is directly pumped by four 0.98-μm-band laser diodes. These lasing wavelengths are detuned from 0.98 to 1 μm by external selective optical feedback from fiber grating reflectors. Maximum signal output power of +13.5 dBm is obtained at 1.296 μm. Four-wavelength multiplexed signals at 1.296-1.311 μm are amplified with a deviation of gain less than 1.9 dB. By using the amplifier as a power booster, data of 2.5 Gb/s is successfully transmitted more than 100 km     

High-sensitivity direct-detection receiver with a 1.5 ?m optical preamplifier

A 1.5 ?n optical preamplifier was used to improve the sensitivity of a PINFET receiver by 12dB. The resonant optical amplifier provided 17dB of fibre-to-fibre gain including coupling losses in an isolator and a narrowband optical filter. The achieved sensitivity, -45.6 dBm at 500 Mbit/s, or 420 photons/bit, is the best reported for any direct-detection receiver and a factor of two better than previous results using optical amplifiers. However, the results are virtually identical to the best APD receiver results.     

Fabrication and characteristics of GaP-AlGaP tapered waveguide semiconductor Raman amplifiers

We have fabricated GaP-AlGaP tapered waveguide semiconductor Raman amplifiers, and analyzed the effect of tapering in pulse-pumped high-gain operation. The finesse measurement and 80-ps pulse pumped Raman amplification experiment were performed. Although the tapering has caused additional optical loss, the highest gain of 23 dB has been obtained for a tapered waveguide with input facet of 6.0 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ and back facet of 2.9 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ at averaged input power of 170 mW (peak power 26 W). It is shown that the optical loss of the pump light is more severe than the linear optical loss of the signal light when the gain is higher than 20 dB.     

Monolithic integrated amplifiers for 400 Mbit/s optical repeater

Introduction of monolithic integrated circuit technology to high bit rate optical repeater is studied. Monolithic integrated amplifiers are realised for a 400 Mbit/s optical repeater such as a preamplifier, AGC amplifier and postamplifier, using advanced silicon bipolar process technology. An equalising amplifier with four monolithic amplifiers got 66 dB maximum gain, 35 dB variable gain and 350 MHz band-width with 550 mW power consumption.     

4$,times,$25-Gb/s 40-km PHY at 1310 nm for 100 GbE Using SOA-Based Preamplifier

We present extensive numerical simulations of an optical link deploying four electroabsorption modulated lasers (EMLs) at 25 Gb/s over up to 40 km of standard single-mode fiber. The receiver comprises a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as a preamplifier. We analyze the bit error ratio (BER) along different link lengths under varying conditions such as output power and extinction ratio of the EML transmitters, the noise figure of the SOA preamplifier and the bit and word alignment of the four wavelength channels. We demonstrate that the EML transmitters require a minimum extinction ratio of 8 to 10 dB and a minimum output power of +2 to +4 dBm in order to meet the BER requirements for 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GbE) using 4 times 25-Gb/s physical media dependent (PMD) devices. Furthermore, we show that single-channel performance analyses can be used to estimate the behavior for multichannel amplification in the SOA preamplifier.     

Noise characteristics of Er3+-doped fiber amplifierspumped by 0.98 and 1.48 μm laser diodes

Measured noise characteristics of Er³⁺-doped optical fiber amplifiers pumped by 0.98- and 1.48-μm laser diodes (LDs) are reported. The noise figures estimated from the beat noise between signal and spontaneous emission are 3.2 dB for pumping by 0.98-μm LD and 4.1 dB for pumping by 1.48-μm LD. The beat noise between spontaneous emission components and the spontaneous shot noise for the 0.98-μm pumping are lower than those for the 1.48-μm pumping     

Sensitivity improvement of a 2 Gb/s quadrature phase shift keyedsubcarrier multiplexed system by use of an optical preamplifier

A traveling wave semiconductor optical amplifier is used as a receiver preamplifier in a quadrature-phase-shift-keyed subcarrier multiplexed system. The intensity-modulated signal from a 1509-m distributed feedback laser bears two 1-Gb/s data signals on a 5-GHz subcarrier. The receiver preamplifier yields a 9.2-dB sensitivity improvement to -29.2 dBm. The system noise sources are measured. Theoretical and measured bit error rates versus received power are presented