Optical Amplifiers

Two types
¤ Opto-electronic conversion
¤ All Optical
 ALL OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS
☼ Boosting of an optical signal without
conversion of an optical signal into an
electrical signal.

Why we go for such an amplifiers?

۩Cheap
۩Few Repeaters
۩Noise Reduction
۩No electronic restriction on Bandwidth
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OPTICAL AMPLIFIER

♪ Gain
♪ Gain Efficiency
♪ Gain Bandwidth
♪ Gain Saturation
♪ Noise
 TYPES OF OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS
¤ Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers
¤ Fiber Amplifiers
¤ Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier
¤ Raman Fiber Amplifier
 MODES OF APPLICATION
¤ Power Amplifier
¤ In Line Amplifier
¤ Preamplifier
¤ Functions of the Amplifier
Transmitter A1

Power
Amplifier
Inline
A2
Amplifier

Pre
A3
Amplifier Receiver
Receiver
Receiver
 SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS(SOA)
Laser diodes with or without end mirrors which have fiber
attached to both the ends.
Two types
 Fabry perot SOA
 Travelling wave SOA
♫ They work for the optical windows both 1310 and 1550nm.
♫ Transmit bidirectionally.
SOA - OPERATION PRINCIPLE
Excited state
Tra
nsi
tio Metastable
n
state

Tr
Pump signal ASE Photons

an
sit
io
n
Ground state

Excited state
Tra
nsi
tio Metastable
n
state
Pump signal Stimulated
Signal photon emission
1550 nm 1550 nm
Ground state
Merits
♫ Cheap solution
♫ Can be easily integrated with other devices
like MUX/DEMUX ( AWG’s )
♫ Good for use in Metro WDM

Limitations
♪ High coupling loss
♪ Polarization dependent
♪ High Noise figure
♪ Matching with the fiber is also a problem
 Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier
Why Erbium?
• Erbium ions (Er3+) have quantum levels that
allows them to be stimulated to emit in the
1540nm band.
• Erbium's quantum levels also allow it to be
excited by a signal at either 980nm or 1480nm.
 Energy Level Diagram of EDFAs

Excited
Excited
State
State
FasFa
t Dst D Metastable
Metastable
ecaec
yay State
State
pump
mpump

λ
pump

0 λ0
m pump

λ0 λ0 λ0
λ
0.98-µ

0 λ
0.98-μm

λ
λ2
2 λ4 0 λ0
λ
4 λ λ0
0
1.48-μm
1.48-µ

λ
λ3
3 Incoming
Incoming λ0 λ0
signal
Signal Output Gain
Output gain Photons
photons
λ1
λ
1 photon
Photon plus Signal Photon
plus signal photon
Ground Spontaneous Emission
Spontaneous Emission Gain
Ground
State Noise
Gain
Gain
State Noise
(1.53 < λ< 1.56 µ
m)
(1.53<λ<1.56μm)

• Thanks to: Optical Communications Laboratory

 Operation Details
• Erbium atoms emit photons at same wavelength and in
same phase and direction as incoming photons
 Cascading photons effectively amplify incoming signal
 Signal amplified in direction of travel only
 Similar to laser action
• Isolator put at output to prevent reflections from returning
to amplifier and disrupting operation
Input Coupler Isolator

1480 or
980 nm Output
Pump
Laser Erbium Doped Fiber

Thanks to: Applied Optoelectronic center

• Advantages
~ High gain per mW of pump power
~ Low crosstalk
~ Happen to operate in most transparent region of the spectrum for
glass fiber
~ Extremely long excited state lifetime (of the order of 10 ms)

Limitations
~ Can only work at wavelengths where Er+3 fluoresces
~ Requires specially doped fiber as gain medium
~ Three-level system, so gain medium is opaque at signal
wavelengths until pumped
~ Requires long path length of gain medium (tens of
meters in glass)
~ Gain very wavelength-dependent and must be flattened
 Raman Fiber Amplifier
Raman Amplification

Ŕ Stimulated Raman scattering occurs when light waves interact with

vibrations of atoms in a crystalline lattice ( optical fiber ). The atom
absorbs the light and re-emits new photons with an energy which is
lower than the original energy ( with a wavelength which is about
100nm longer than the original WL at 1550nm ).
Ŕ Raman amplification is possible for the S-band and even for the 2nd
optical window ( pump WL about 13 THz higher frequency ).
Ŕ Raman amplification excellent for use in new ultra long haul DWDM
systems:
‫۝‬ High channel count ( more than 80 )
‫۝‬ High modulation speed ( 40 Gbit/s )
‫۝‬ Longer distances between regeneration
 Types

Ŕ 2 types of Raman amplifiers:

Ŕ Discrete Raman amplifiers: Signal is not amplified in the
transmission fiber, but in a special fiber within a box with other
components, like EDFA !
Ŕ Distributed Raman amplifiers: The transmission
medium ( fiber ) is used to
achieve gain.

Ŕ Distributed Raman amplifiers benefits:

Ŕ Reduces the overall Noise Figure ( NF ) → longer links without
regeneration & higher modulation rates become possible.
Ŕ Flat gain can be achieved with the use of more than one pump
laser with different wavelengths ( Also possible with Discrete
Raman amplifiers ).
Discrete Amplifier
 DistributedDistributed
Raman Amplifier
Raman Amplification
(I)
 Raman pumping takes place backwards over the fiber.
 Gain is a maximum close to the receiver and decreases in the
transmitter direction

Long Fibre Span

Optical
Transmitter EDFA
Receiver

Raman
Pump
Laser

Thanks to: Applied Optoelectronic center

Source: Master 7_5

Advantages
¤ Variable wavelength amplification possible
¤ Compatible with installed SM fiber
¤ Can be used to "extend" EDFAs
¤ Can result in a lower average power over a
span, good for lower crosstalk
¤ Very broadband operation may be possible
Limitations
☼High pump power requirements, high pump
power lasers have only recently arrived
☼Sophisticated gain control needed
☼Noise is also an issue
Comparison:
Property SOA EDFA Raman
Amplification Band depends on pump depends on dopant depends on pump
power (Er, Y, Th) power
Gain BW 60nm ~90nm(extended 20-50nm per pump
range)
Flat gain 15-20nm
NOISE FIGURE 8 5 5
Noise ASE ASE Raman scatter,
double Rayleigh
Pump wavelength Electrical pump 980/1.480nm for by 100nm shorter
erbium than amplified signal
range
Pump power <400mA ~10-300mW < 300mW
Saturation power depends on Bias Depends on dopant ~power of pump
current and gain
Direction Unidirectional Unidirectional Bidirectional
Simplicity Simpler more complex Simpler (no special
(EDFA needed) fiber needed)
Cost Low Medium high
References:
• DWDM Pocket Guide, Ines Brunn, Acterna Eningen GmbH,Postfach 12
62, 72795 Eningen u. A., Germany.
• Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers, Michael J. Connelly, Kluwer Academic
Publishers, New York.
• Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers Fundamentals and Technology, P.C.
Becker, N.A. Olsson and J.R. Simpson, Elsevier Academic Press, San
Diego.
• Raman Amplification in Fiber Optical Communications System, Clifford
Headley and Govind P. Agrawal, Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam.
• Electro-Optics Handbook, Ronald W. Waynant, Marwood N. Ediger,
Second Edition, McGraw Hill, Inc., New York
Thank you