Characteristics of the dual-forward pumped L-band ASE fiber source

Abstract

We present a two-stage dual-forward pumped configuration to achieve a wavelength stable L-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source. The effects of EDF length and pump power arrangements on the characteristics of L-band ASE spectrum, output power, and mean wavelength are investigated. The results show that not only the pumping conversion efficiency can be improved largely but also the pump power independent mean wavelength operation can be achieved by optimizing the fiber length ratio and pump ratio of the dual-forward pumped configuration as comparing to that of the conventional double-pass forward configuration.