Gain improvement in a dual-stage S-band EDFA by filtration of forward C-band ASE

Gain improvement in a dual-stage S-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (S-band EDFA) is demonstrated using a broadband fiber Bragg grating (FBG) operating in the conventional-band (C-band) region or a C-band/S-band wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) coupler which filters out the forward C-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in the amplifier system, thus increasing the population inversion in the S-band region. The gain for the amplifier with the WDM coupler increases by about 8.5 dB with an input signal power of ?40 dBm, compared to that of the conventional dual-stage amplifier. The gain improvement varies from 4.0–9.2 dB at a wavelength region between 1480 to 1512 nm without a significant noise figure penalty.     

Gain-clamped erbium-doped fibre amplifier for wavelength division multiplexed systems

Abstract

Amplification of multiwavelength signals by an erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) is becoming critical, due to the proliferation of wavelength division multiplexed systems. However, when a standard EDFA is employed, dissimilarities between signal gains may prove unacceptable. Thus, a novel gain-clamped EDFA is proposed here to tackle the issue of gain tilt, a measure of maximum gain difference. The suitability of the configuration is then investigated through a numerical model, which is developed based on the standard EDFA and fibre laser models.     

Performance analysis of BER optimization in WDM systems using EDFA

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems, which are widely used in telecommunication, have the advantages of huge bandwidth support and reliability. A performance analysis is presented of a WDM system using an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), with specific emphasis on bit error rate (BER) optimization. EDFA parameters, including doped fiber length and pump power, are optimized and performance evaluating parameters for different modulation schemes are observed. Simulation results provide optimized BER, noise figure, and gain flatness values. The WDM system is modeled from 1546 nm to 1558 nm bandwidth to obtain maximum gain uniformity, low noise figure, and low BER. This wavelength range is selected to investigate the 1550 nm wavelength commonly used in the telecommunication industry. Also, that we are using a WDM grid, so multiple channels can be accommodated in this range.     

Wavelength switchable L-band erbium-doped fiber laser employing C-band EDFA as gain medium

A new structure for the L-band multiwavelength switchable erbium-doped fiber laser is proposed. Overlapping laser cavities are formed by cascading fiber Bragg gratings as reflectors in a ring structure with a C-band EDFA as a common gain medium. The proposed laser is made to be wavelength-switchable by individually adjusting the loss of each overlapping cavity. Instead of using an L-band EDFA as the gain medium in the L-band fiber laser, we have experimentally demonstrated that by tailoring the gain of the C-band EDFA to have a significant gain tilt in the L-band, a lasing power efficiency of 26% can be achieved over a wide range of switchable lasing wavelengths. Following this optimal design, the side-mode suppression ratio and the minimal separation between two switchable lasing wavelengths were found to be over 42 dB and 0.33 nm, respectively.     

Wide-band flat-gain optical amplifier using Hafnia and zirconia erbium co-doped fibres in double-pass parallel configuration

ABSTRACT

A new compact and wide-band erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) was demonstrated by combining Hafnia-bismuth Erbium co-doped fibre (HB-EDF) and zirconia–yttria–aluminum Erbium co-doped fibre (Zr-EDF) as a hybrid gain medium, in parallel double-pass configuration. The proposed amplifier comprises a 0.5?m long HB-EDF and 4?m long Zr-EDF optimized for C- and L-band operations, respectively. The HB-EDF and Zr-EDF has erbium ion concentration of 12,500?ppm and 2800?ppm, respectively. At -10 dBm input signal, a wide-band flat gain of 15.7?dB is achieved with gain fluctuation of less than 1.5?dB within a wavelength region from 1525 to 1600?nm. Compared to same configuration of HB-EDF and Zr-EDF amplifiers which are using two pieces of HB-EDF and Zr-EDF, respectively with the same total amount of erbium ions, the proposed EDFA with hybrid gain medium provides even better performances in term of flat gain, bandwidth and noise figure.     

宽带碲基掺铒光纤放大器增益谱特性研究

建立了一个多信号共存情形下宽带碲基掺铒光纤放大器(EDTFA)四能级模型,系统研究了EDTFA 增益谱随着光纤激活长度、输入信号功率、泵浦功率和纤芯掺杂浓度的演变关系。研究表明,在输入信号功率减小、泵浦功率提高时,C 波段信号增益迅速增大;在光纤长度增长、掺杂浓度提高时,增益谱向 L 波段偏移;在小信号状态下,其 20dB 增益带宽大于 80nm。研究揭示了EDTFA 适合于作为 WDM 系统中的 L 波段和 C L 波段光纤放大器。     

Wavelength-tunable optical short-pulse generation by mutual pulse injection seeding of two gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diodes

A simple and robust system is presented to generate wavelength-tunable optical short pulses by use of two gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diodes in a mutual pulse injection-seeding scheme. The operating wavelength of the optical pulses is flexibly selected by adjustment of a tunable filter, and its intensity is enhanced with an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. The side-mode suppression ratio achieved by the system is larger than 26 dB over a wavelength region of 25 nm and higher than 31 dB within an 18-nm wavelength.     

Gain and noise figure enhancement of Er+3/Yb+3 co-doped fiber/Raman hybrid amplifier

An Er/Yb co-doped fiber/Raman hybrid amplifier (HA) is proposed and studied theoretically and analytically to improve the gain and noise figure of optical amplifiers. The calculations are performed under a uniform dopant and steady-state conditions. The initial energy transfer efficiency for Er/Yb co-doped fiber amplifier (EYDFA) is introduced, while the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is neglected. The glass fiber used for both Er/Yb and Raman amplifiers is phosphate. Different pump powers are used for both EYDFA and RA with 1 μW input signal power, 1 m length of Er/Yb amplifier and 25 km length of Raman amplifier (RA). The proposed model is validated for Er/Yb co-doped amplifier and Raman amplifier separately by comparing the calculating results with the experimental data. A high gain and low noise figure at 200 mW Raman pump power and 500 mW Er/Yb pump power are obtained for the proposed HA as compared with the experimental results of EYDFA, Raman amplifier and the EDFA/Raman hybrid amplifier.     

Wideband tunable Q-switched fiber laser using graphene as a saturable absorber

An ultra-wide wavelength tuning range, which covers three different band regions consisting of the S-, C-, and L-bands, is proposed and demonstrated for a graphene-based Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser using a tunable bandpass filter as the wavelength tuning and filtering mechanism. A 3?m length of erbium-doped fiber is used as the gain medium in a ring laser cavity configuration, with absorption coefficients of between 11 and 13 dB?m^?1 at 980?nm and about 18?dB?m^?1 at 1550?nm. The tuning range of the Q-switching pulses covers a wide wavelength range of 58?nm, which spans from 1512.5?nm to 1570.5?nm. In addition, the lasing and Q-switching thresholds are considerably low, with respective values of ～11.0?mW and ～18.4?mW. A repetition rate of 55.3?kHz is obtained at the maximum pump power of 100.4?mW, together with pulse width and pulse energy of 1.6?μs and 25.8?nJ, respectively.     

宽带铋基掺铒光纤放大器增益及噪声特性研究

利用Er3 离子四能级结构速率方程组和光功率传输方程组,数值模拟了铋基掺铒光纤放大器(EDFA)的增益及噪声特性,模拟结果与实验报道结果取得了很好的一致。同时,详尽地分析了增益及噪声特性与光纤长度、泵浦功率和输入信号功率的关系,优化了放大器的性能,从理论上得出一个20dB增益带宽达76nm、噪声系数接近4dB的铋基EDFA。研究表明了铋基掺铒光纤放大器适合用作于现代DWDM系统中C L波段的光纤放大器。     

Fabrication and characterization of dye mixture doped polymer optical fiber as a broad wavelength optical amplifier

Rhodamine 6G and Rhodamine B dye mixture doped polymer optical fiber amplifier (POFA), which can operate in a broad wavelength region (60 nm), has been successfully fabricated and tested. Tunable operation of the amplifier over a broad wavelength region is achieved by mixing different ratios of the dyes. The dye doped POFA is pumped axially using 532 nm, 10 ns laser pulses from a frequency doubled Q-switched Nd: YAG laser and the signals are taken from an optical parametric oscillator. A maximum gain of 22.3 dB at 617 nm wavelength has been obtained for a 7 cm long dye mixture doped POFA. The effects of pump energy and length of the fiber on the performance of the fiber amplifier are also studied. There exists an optimum length for which the amplifier gain is at a maximum value.     

Polarization independent thermally tunable erbium-doped fiber amplifier gain equalizer using a cascaded Mach-Zehnder coupler

A thermally tunable erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) gain equalizer filter based on compact point symmetric cascaded Mach-Zehnder (CMZ) coupler is presented with its mathematical model and is found to be polarization dependent due to stress anisotropy caused by local heating for thermo-optic phase change from its mathematical analysis. A thermo-optic delay line structure with a stress releasing groove is proposed and designed for the reduction of polarization dependent characteristics of the high index contrast point symmetric delay line structure of the device. It is found from thermal analysis by using an implicit finite difference method that temperature gradients of the proposed structure, which mainly causes the release of stress anisotropy, is approximately nine times more than that of the conventional structure. It is also seen that the EDFA gain equalized spectrum by using the point symmetric CMZ device based on the proposed structure is almost polarization independent.     

Experimental investigation of an optically amplified time-division-multiplexed polarization-insensitive fiber-optic michelson interferometric sensor system

We experimentally investigate optically amplified time-division-multiplexed polarization-insensitive fiber-optic Michelson interferometric (PIFOMI) sensor systems, using an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and a phase-generated carrier (PGC) demodulation technique. The influence of the EDFA on the extinction ratio (ER) of the light pulse and on the minimum phase-detection sensitivity (MPDS) is examined. We find that the EDFA acting as a preamplifier has limited usefulness because the highly amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise generated by the EDFA degrades the ER and the MPDS. However, both postamplifiers and in-line EDFA's can work successfully. The MPDS of the unamplified time-division-multiplexed PIFOMI system with an ER of 33 dB was 2.4 x 10(-5) rad/(Hz)(1/2) at ~1 kHz. For maintaining a MPDS of better than 3.4 x 10(-5) rad/(Hz)(1/2) at ~1 kHz, the worst ER's for the postamplified and in-line amplified systems were 20 and 17.8 dB, respectively. The corresponding input signal peak power should be larger than -20 and -25 dBm for the postamplifiers and in-line amplifiers, respectively. When two postamplifiers and two in-line amplifiers are used, an allowable sensor system loss of 47 dB and a link length of the input-output lead fiber of 108 km can be realized for this system with a 32-sensor array. Implementation of optically amplified time-division-multiplexed and wavelength-division multiplexed-time-division multiplexed PIFOMI subarray sensor systems are also addressed.     

The gain and noise figure of Yb-Er-codoped fiber amplifiers based on the temperature-dependent model

A novel temperature-dependent model for Yb³⁺-Er³⁺-codoped fiber amplifier (EYDFA) based on the energy transfer from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ is established. Using appropriate fiber and energy transfer parameters, the coupled rate equations is numerically solved at 25 and 40 °C. The pumping powers are 100 and 200 mW at a pump wavelength of 1060 nm. The signal gain and noise characteristics of a 0.3 m erbium/ytterbium co-doped fiber (EYDF) in a single-pass configuration are investigated by using 1, 10 and 100 μW signals at 1535 nm. A maximum signal gain of 40.5 dB and a corresponding noise figure of 3.65 dB at the temperature of 25 °C are achieved.     

Highly birefringent large negative dispersion-flattened photonic crystal fibre for broadband residual dispersion compensation

A triangular lattice photonic crystal fibre is presented in this paper for residual dispersion compensation. The fibre exhibits a flattened negative dispersion of ?992.01 ± 6.93 ps/(nm-km) over S+C+L wavelength bands and ?995.83 ± 0.42 ps/(nm-km) over C-band. The birefringence is about 4.4 × 10^?2 at the excitation wavelength of 1550 nm which is also very high. Full vector finite element method (FEM) with a perfectly matched absorbing layer (PML) boundary condition is applied to numerically investigate the guiding properties of this PCF. The fibre operates at fundamental mode only. All these properties endorse this fibre as a suitable candidate for compensating residual dispersion and polarization maintaining applications.     

Tm3+-doped fiber master oscillator power amplifier with broad tunability in pulse duration using an acousto-optic external modulator

ABSTRACT

We demonstrate a pulse-duration tunable Tm³⁺-doped pulsed all-fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) operating at a central wavelength of 1908 nm. By using acousto-optic(AO) external modulation, the amplified laser pulse shows a tuning range having pulse durations from 66.5 ns to 8.0 μs and a repetition rate of 100 kHz-2 MHz. The laser achieved a maximum average power of 28.1 W and a corresponding energy of 28.1 μJ at 1MHz with a 3 dB linewidth of 0.63 nm and a beam quality factor of M_x²=1.25 and M_y²=1.32. The ASE suppression ratio is 50 dB and the corresponding total amplifier gain is 27.5 dB. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest average output power and slope efficiency (～51.0%) achieved using AO external modulation in a Tm³⁺-doped pulsed fiber amplifier.     

All-optical wavelength reuse with simultaneous upstream data and PPS timing signal transfer for flexible optical access networks

All-optical wavelength reuse is a viable approach for realization of low cost colourless ONUs. We experimentally demonstrate a novel all-optical wavelength reuse technique with simultaneous upstream data and pulse-per-second signal transfer, exploiting EDFA gain saturation with a holding beam. A DFB laser is modulated with 8.5 Gbps data and transmitted downstream over 24.7 km fibre. A saturated EDFA located at the ONU is adopted to reduce the extinction ratio of the downstream data from 6.2 dB to 839.1 mdB. This allows for data rewrite and wavelength reuse for upstream transmission. Receiver sensitivities of ?20.19 dBm and ?19.60 dBm are achieved at back-to-back analysis and 24.7 km downstream link respectively. A holding beam is further exploited to attain simultaneous carrier reuse and PPS clock upstream transfer. PPS jitter stability of 1.01 × 10^-08 ns and 6.64 × 10^-08 ns are attained respectively. This work offers a convenient all-optical wavelength reuse solutions for optical access networks.     

Bismuth-based Brillouin/erbium fiber laser

A multi-wavelength Brillouin/erbium-doped fiber laser (BEFL) operating in the 1573 nm region is proposed and demonstrated. The system employs both linear and nonlinear gain from a bismuth-based erbium-doped fiber (Bi-EDF) approximately 215 cm long and a single mode fiber (SMF) of various lengths to generate an optical comb with a spacing of approximately 0.089 nm. Two 3 dB couplers were used to form a looping arm in the system in order to produce cascaded Brillouin Stokes waves as internal feedback for multi-wavelength operation. A stable output laser comb with 10 lines at more than ??13 dBm was obtained with 4.85 dBm Brillouin pump power and two 140 mW pumps at 1480 nm. The 1480 nm pumps' power and SMF length have a significant effect on the number of wavelengths and on the output power of the generated wavelength comb.     

Near-infrared thermal lens spectrometer based on an erbium-doped fiber amplifier and an acousto-optic tunable filter, and its application in the determination of nucleotides

A novel spectrometer that is based on the use of the thermal lens effect for sensitive measurements of absorption in the near-IR region has been developed. In this instrument the near-IR excitation light (from 1515 to 1590 nm) was provided by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). An acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) was used to spectrally disperse the light from the EDFA. The AOTF was used in a new configuration in which, instead of the diffracted light, the transmitted light was used. The heat generated as a consequence of the absorption of the near-IR excitation beam by the sample was monitored by a He-Ne laser. The sensitivity of this spectrometer was found to be at least two to three times higher than that of conventional transmission measurements. Its application in the sensitive determination of nucleotides (adenosine, cytidine, guanosine, and thymidine) is described.     

Switchable dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode erbium-doped fiber laser using an inverse-Gaussian apodized fiber Bragg grating filter and a low-gain semiconductor optical amplifier

We present a stable and switchable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser. In the ring cavity, an inverse-Gaussian apodized fiber Bragg grating serves as an ultranarrow dual-wavelength passband filter, a semiconductor optical amplifier biased in the low-gain regime reduces the gain competition of the two wavelengths, and a feedback fiber loop acts as a mode filter to guarantee a stable single-longitudinal-mode operation. Two lasing lines with a wavelength separation of approximately 0.1 nm are obtained experimentally. A microwave signal at 12.51 GHz is demonstrated by beating the dual wavelengths at a photodetector.