US 6,473,225 B1Granted

Light amplifier device

AssigneeAlcatel

InventorsThierry Zami, Dominique Chiaroni, Nicolas Le Sauze, Alain Pons, Jean-Yves Emery, François Dorgeuille

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Abstract

In order to be able to use a semiconductor light amplifier of conventional type and operating under gain saturation conditions while nevertheless providing constant gain for an optical signal to be amplified, the device comprises means for producing a compensation light wave and coupling means for injecting the optical signal to be amplified and the compensation light wave into the amplifier. The compensation light wave presents amplitude modulation such that when combined with the optical signal to be amplified the overall amplitude modulation is eliminated or at least attenuated. The device is applicable to optical transmission systems operating at a single wavelength or with wavelength division multiplexing.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A device for using a semiconductor light amplifier to amplify an amplitude-modulated optical signal referred to as the signal to be amplified and carried by at least one signal wavelength, the device comprising:

compensation means for producing a compensation light wave;
and
coupling means for injecting said optical signal to be amplified and said compensation light wave into said amplifier;
and wherein said compensation means comprise modulation means that are controlled directly as a function of the modulation of the signal to be amplified so as to produce said compensation light wave by amplitude modulating at least one auxiliary light carrier wave in such a manner that the combination of said optical signal to be amplified and of said compensation light wave has amplitude modulation that is suppressed or at least attenuated.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.