Title :
Highly efficient configuration of a Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fiber amplifier module with an optical circulator
Author :
Yamada, Makoto ; Shimizu, Makoto ; Ohishi, Yasutake ; Temmyo, Jiro ; Kanamori, Terutoshi ; Sudo, Shouichi
Author_Institution :
NTT Opto-Electron. Labs., Ibaraki, Japan
Abstract :
A highly efficient Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fiber amplifier configuration with an optical circulator, in which the input signal light is amplified both forward and backward through a Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fiber, is investigated with a view to decreasing the drive current and improving the reliability of pump laser diodes (LD´s). With this double-path configuration, a 25-dB signal gain is achieved at an LD drive current of 110 mA. This LD drive current is about half that needed for a conventional single-path configuration. It is also found that this double-path configuration provides a double-gain coefficient, a slightly low saturation power, and a slightly narrow spectral gain width.<>
Keywords :
fibre lasers; optical pumping; praseodymium; reliability; 110 mA; 25 dB; LD drive current; LD´s; Pr/sup 3+/-doped fluoride fiber amplifier; ZBLAN:Pr; ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF:Pr; double-gain coefficient; double-path configuration; drive current; highly efficient; input signal light; low saturation power; narrow spectral gain width; optical circulator; pump laser diodes; reliability; signal gain; Laser excitation; Mirrors; Optical fiber amplifiers; Optical fiber polarization; Optical pumping; Optical refraction; Optical saturation; Optical scattering; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Stimulated emission;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
