Nonsplit dual‐stage EDFA operating in the C‐ plus L‐band

Abstract

AbstractThe feasibility of a dual‐stage erbium‐doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) design for operation in both the C‐band and the L‐band is studied. The design is comprised of nonsplit single‐pass amplification at both bands, thus eliminating the need for band multiplexing and demultiplexing in an individual band‐amplification design. The results show that the amplifier provides continuous homogeneous gain ranging from 1530 to 1605 nm with an average gain of 19.7 dB at −30‐dBm input signal power. A minimum gain variation of 9.5 dB was achieved for this entire range, which includes the standard 1530‐nm‐region gain peak in a silica‐based EDF and without the assistance of any gain‐flattening devices. The noise figure was below 7.4 dB for the entire C‐ plus L‐band region for a minimum of 5.3 dB at 1570 nm, with signal power of −30 dBm. This C‐ plus L‐band EDFA provides an average output power of 6.1 dBm at −10 dBm input signal power. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 82–84, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20381