Optical fiber amplifier with flattened gain
US5239607A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 23, 1992 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 23, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S372/703
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus and method for flattening the gain of an optical fiber amplifier (18) doped with an ion such as erbium and which is pumped by a pump laser (20). Optical couplers (32, 34) inserted before and after the fiber amplifier couple the main optical path to an optical ring passing through the fiber amplifier so as to form a ring laser. An optical isolator (32) placed in the ring causes the lasing light to only counterpropagate relative to the optical signal being amplified. When the fiber amplifier primarily exhibits inhomogeneous broadening and the ring lases, the lasing light clamps the gain to a value determined by the loop loss, and the value of the clamped gain is relatively uniform across a wide bandwidth.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.