Large effective area erbium doped fiber optical amplifier

An optical waveguide amplifier fiber, comprising:

• a core region having a relative refractive index A, and an outer radius, the core region at least in part comprising Er2O3, and at least one other component selected from the group consisting of Al2O3, GeO2, Ga2O3, Ta2O3, P2O5, or a combination thereof;
• an inner clad surrounding the core region and having a relative refractive index percent Δ2 and an outer radius;
• and
• an outer clad surrounding the inner clad and having a relative refractive index percent Δ3;
• wherein the relative refractive index percentages and radii of the core region, the inner clad and the outer clad are chosen from the following ranges:
• the relative refractive index percent of the core segment within the range of from about 0.5% to about 1.2%;
• the relative refractive index percent of the inner clad within the range of from about 0.0% to about 0.3%;
• the outer radius of the core region within the range of from about 2.0 μm to about 5.0 μm;
• the outer radius of the inner clad within the range of from about 3.8 μm to about 10.2 μm;
• and
• wherein the amounts of Al2O3 and/or GeO2 and/or Ga2O3 within the core region, and the relative refractive index percentages and radii of the core region, the inner clad and the outer clad are selected to provide an effective area of greater than or equal to about 38.6 μm at a wavelength of 1590 nm.