Double-pumped raman amplifier
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsStuart Gray, Stephen C. Guy, James R. Passalugo
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Abstract
A double pumped Raman amplifier is provided that increases gain over a same length of gain fiber without significantly increasing a percentage of noise. The amplifier may include a source of pump light coupled to the output end of a coil of Raman gain fiber, and a reflector coupled to the input end of the coil which may be either a mirror, or a fiber Bragg grating. Alternatively, a beam splitter may be connected to the source of pump light and the resulting split output may be coupled to both the input and output ends of the gain fiber. The increase in amplification efficiency allows the optical fiber used in components such as dispersion compensating modules to also be used as Raman gain fiber in such amplifiers.
Claims39
A Raman optical amplifier, comprising:
- a length of optical fiber absorbing pump light and generating a Raman gain in optical signals conducted through said fiber, and
- a source of pump light coupled at opposite ends of said fiber for transmitting pump light in opposite directions through said fiber.
A Raman optical amplifier, comprising:
- a source of pump light;
- a length of optical fiber coupled at one end to said source of pump light for absorbing a portion of light from said source to generate a Raman gain in optical signals conducted through said fiber, and
- an optical reflector coupled to an opposite end of said optical fiber length for reinjecting unabsorbed pump light into said fiber.
An Raman optical amplifier, comprising:
- a length of optical fiber absorbing pump light and generating gain in optical signals conducted through said fiber;
- a source of pump light coupled to one end of a fiber, and
- an optical reflector coupled to another end of said fiber reinjecting unabsorbed pump light back into said fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.