Broadband Tm-doped optical fiber amplifier
AssigneeCybel, LLC.
InventorsJean-Marc Delavaux, Robert E. Tench, Alexandre Amavigan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A broadband optical amplifier for operation in the 2 μm visible wavelength band is based upon a single-clad Tm-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA). A compact pump source uses a combination of low-power laser diode with a fiber laser to provide a multi-watt pump beam without needing to include thermal management and/or pump wavelength stability components. The broadband optical amplifier is therefore able to be relatively compact device with fiber coupled output powers of >0.5 W CW, high small signal gain, low noise figure, and large OSNR, important for use as a versatile wideband preamplifier or power booster amplifier.
Claims19
A broadband optical amplifier for operation across an eye-safe bandwidth region between 1.9 μm and 2.0 μm, comprising:
- a section of single-clad optical gain fiber, including a Tm-doped core region, where an input signal operating at a signal wavelength λs within the eye-safe bandwidth is coupled into an input endface of the Tm-doped core region of the single-clad optical gain fiber so as to propagate therealong and exit at an output endface thereof;
- and
- a pump source including a laser diode source and a fiber laser coupled to the laser diode source, the fiber laser creating pump light at a defined pump wavelength λP2 with an output power in the range of 1-3 W, the pump light coupled into the Tm-doped core region of the single-clad optical gain fiber so as to interact with the propagating input signal and create an increase in optical power of the propagating input signal as it exits the single-clad optical gain fiber.
A multi-stage broadband optical amplifier for operation across an eye-safe bandwidth of 1.9-2.0 μm, comprising:
- a plurality of N sections of single-clad Tm-doped optical fiber disposed in a concatenated configuration, each section defining a separate stage of the multi-stage broadband optical amplifier, wherein an input signal operating at a signal wavelength λs within the eye-safe bandwidth is coupled into a first, input stage of the multi-stage optical amplifier;
- a pump source providing pump light at a defined pump wavelength λP with a multi-watt output power, the pump source including a laser diode source and a fiber laser coupled to the laser diode source, wherein defined parameters of the fiber laser are configured to provide a multi-watt output at the defined pump wavelength XP;
- and
- a 1:N power splitter coupled between an output of the pump source and a pump light input of each stage of the multi-stage broadband optical amplifier so as to provide a separate pump beam for propagating through each section of single-clad Tm-doped optical fiber of the plurality of N sections of single-clad Tm-doped optical fiber, each pump beam interacting with the propagating input signal and creating an increase in optical power of the propagating input signal as it passes through each stage of the multi-stage optical amplifier.
A broadband optical amplifier for operation across an eye-safe bandwidth of 1.9-2.0 μm, comprising:
- a section of single-clad optical gain fiber, including a Tm-doped core region, where an input signal operating at a signal wavelength λs within the eye-safe bandwidth is coupled into an input endface of the Tm-doped core region of the single-clad optical gain fiber so as to propagate therealong and exit at an output endface thereof;
- and
- a pump source for providing pump light at a defined pump wavelength λP2 with an output power in the range of 1-3 W, the pump light coupled into the Tm-doped core region of the single-clad optical gain fiber so as to interact with the propagating input signal and create an increase in optical power of the propagating input signal as it exits the single-clad optical gain fiber as an amplified output signal from the broadband optical amplifier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.