Optical amplifier
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsPrem K. Sharma, Arie R. Van Doorn, Aemilianus G. J. Staring
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Abstract
An optical amplifier having an amplification medium which comprises a complex of a rare earth ion and a ligand, said complex being dissolved in a polymeric matrix, as well as an optical communications network comprising one or more optical amplifiers of the above-described polymeric type.
Drawings
Claims14
An optical amplifier for an optical signal, said amplifier comprising an amplification medium which includes a rare earth ion, first optical means for sending the optical signal through the amplification medium, a laser pump for exciting the rare earth ion, second optical means for sending the pump signal originating from the laser pump through the amplification medium, and third optical means for passing on the amplified optical signal originating from the amplification medium;
- characterized in that the amplification medium comprises:
- a complex of said rare earth ion and a ligand, said complex being dissolved in a polymeric matrix, said ligand encapsulating the rare earth ion and hence shielding it from high-frequency vibrations of the chemical bonds of the polymeric matrix, said ligand comprising chemical bonds having low-frequency vibrations;
- whereby the energy gap between the energy level of the rare earth ion during excitation and during relapse is at least a factor of four times the energy of the low-frequency vibrations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.