Abstract :
Optical amplification is of strategic importance for telecommunications. Optical amplifiers compensate for propagation losses in long distance links and branching losses in access networks, at the same time avoiding costly two-way conversions between optical and electrical signals. The devices available up to now are mainly represented by rare-earth-doped active fiber optical amplifiers. This article presents the state-of-the-art of optical amplifiers for telecommunications. However, erbium-doped fibre amplifiers are having a strong impact on the telecommunication market, thanks to the excellent performance of commercial devices. They are widely employed in long distance networks for the third transmission window, which is centered at λ=1550 nm, while in the second window, around λ=1310 nm, the role of semiconductor optical amplifiers is still competitive
Keywords :
fibre lasers; optical communication equipment; optical fibre losses; optical fibre networks; optical fibre subscriber loops; semiconductor lasers; 1310 nm; 1550 nm; access networks; branching losses; commercial devices; erbium-doped fibre amplifiers; long distance; optical amplification; optical fiber amplifiers; performance; propagation losses; rare-earth-doped active fiber optical amplifiers; semiconductor optical amplifiers; telecommunication market; telecommunication systems; Optical amplifiers; Optical devices; Optical fiber amplifiers; Optical fiber devices; Optical fiber networks; Optical fibers; Optical losses; Propagation losses; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Stimulated emission;
