Hybrid Raman-erbium optical amplifier
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsSeldon D Benjamin, Alan F Evans, Stephen P Hegarty, Ashiqur Rahman
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Abstract
A hybrid optical signal amplifier is provided which includes the combination of a Raman amplifier and an EDFA assembly. The Raman amplifier has an output defined by regions of higher and lower gain levels, and the EDFA assembly has an output having a region, near the longer wavelengths thereof, that includes a maximum noise figure. The spectrum region of higher gain level of the Raman amplifier is selected to correspond to the spectrum region of the EDFA assembly that includes the maximum noise figure in order to lower the maximum noise figure of the resulting optical signal amplifier, as well as to flatten the gain across the output spectrum.
Claims20
A hybrid optical signal amplifier, comprising:
- a Raman amplifier having an output with a gain level that varies across a spectrum of optical wavelengths and defines regions of higher and lower gain levels;
- an EDFA assembly having an input connected to said Raman amplifier output, and an output with a noise figure that varies across said spectrum of optical wavelengths and defines a region including a maximum noise figure,
- wherein a spectrum region of higher gain level of said Raman amplifier overlaps said spectrum region of said EDFA assembly including said maximum noise figure such that said maximum noise figure of said hybrid amplifier is lowered, wherein the magnitude of said maximum noise figure is less than 5 dB.
A hybrid optical signal amplifier, comprising:
- a Raman amplifier having an output with a gain level that varies across a spectrum of optical wavelengths and includes at least one region having a local maximum gain;
- an EDFA assembly having an input connected to said Raman amplifier output and a noise figure that varies across said spectrum of optical wavelengths and includes a region having a maximum noise figure,
- wherein said region of local maximum gain of said Raman amplifier corresponds to said region having said maximum noise figure of said EDFA such that said maximum noise figure of said hybrid amplifier is lowered below 5 dB.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.