Single parameter gain slope adjuster for an optical system
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsParag V Kelkar, Peter G. Wigley, Kai Wundke
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Abstract
An optical device comprises an optical amplifier to amplify optical signals, optical pumps coupled to and providing optical pump power to least one amplifying stage of the optical amplifier, so as to produce gain in the said optical amplifier and, a tunable optical filter coupled to the optical amplifier. The optical filter changes the gain slope of the optical amplifier in response to a change in a single parameter of the optical filter. The optical amplifier also includes at least one controller adjusting said single parameter of the optical filter and controlling the optical pumps.
Claims29
An optical device having an optical input and output, said optical device comprising:
- (a) an optical amplifier with at least one amplifying stage;
- (b) optical pumps coupled to and providing optical pump power to said at least one amplifying stage, so as to produce gain in the said optical amplifier;
- (c) a tunable optical filter coupled to said optical amplifier, said optical filter changing (i) only gain slope of the said optical amplifier, in response to change in only a single parameter of the said optical filter, and (ii) insertion loss slope with wavelength, but not significantly changing the shape of the insertion loss;
- (d) at least one controller adjusting said single parameter of said optical filter and controlling said optical pumps.
An optical transmission system for transmitting optical signals, said system comprising:
- (a) a length of optical transmission fiber providing dispersion penalty and span loss to the propagating optical signal;
- (b) an optical amplifier providing gain spectrum characterized by variable gain slope, said optical amplifier including
- i. a preamplifier compensating for the span loss introduced by said transmission fiber, said preamplifier being coupled to said transmission fiber;
- ii. a midstage loss element compensating for the dispersion penalty and providing midstage loss;
- iii. a postamplifier to compensate for the span loss and midstage loss;
- and
- iv. only one tunable optical filter, said one optical filter changing the gain slope of said optical amplifier in response to a change in only a single parameter of said optical filter, said filter having insertion loss slope which is not constant with wavelength change and insertion loss shape which is constant, wherein said tunable filter does not compensate for changes in gain shape.
The optical transmission system of 22, wherein said preamplifier includes a flat VOA and said postamplifier includes said tunable optical filter.
The optical transmission system of 22, wherein said preamplifier includes a flat VOA and one tunable optical filter;
- and said postamplifier includes another VOA and another tunable optical filter.
The optical transmission system of 22, wherein said preamplifier includes said tunable optical filter and said postamplifier includes a flat VOA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.