Regulated optical amplifier
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsDominique Bayart, Bertrand Clesca, Jose/ Chesnoy
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Abstract
An amplifying optical fiber amplifies a plurality of wavelength-multiplexed carrier waves. The invention enables the gain as seen by each of the carrier waves to be maintained, in particular when the total input power varies. For that purpose, amplified spontaneous "reverse" emission light is servo-controlled in power. After being filtered in a filter and detected by a photodiode, said light controls the powering current supplied to two laser diodes for pumping the fiber. The invention applies in particular to implementing optical transmission networks.
Claims4
A regulated optical amplifier including an amplifier waveguide and a servo-control loop for servo-controlling the power of an amplified spontaneous emission that is amplified and guided by the amplifier waveguide, wherein the emission whose power is servo-controlled is a "reverse" emission, said amplifier including:
- an amplifier waveguide for receiving and guiding light to be amplified propagating from an input to an output of said amplifier waveguide in a forward direction, said amplifier waveguide containing amplifier elements suitable for responding to pump action by applying amplification to said light, the gain of the amplification depending on a controlled characteristic of said pump action;
- a pump source performing said pump action;
- regulation tapping means for tapping light from said amplifier waveguide, which light is amplified thereby and constitutes regulation light;
- and
- pump drive means receiving said regulation light and responding by driving said pump source so as to cause said controlled characteristic of the pump action to take a value that ensures desired amplification of said light to be amplified;
- wherein said regulation tapping means are disposed at the input of said amplifier waveguide, said regulation light being constituted by an amplified spontaneous reverse emission propagating in a backward direction that is opposite from said forward direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.