State of the Art Fiber Optic Components and Photonic Devices for Optical Communication and High Speed Transmission

This paper reveals performance capabilities of state-of-the-art fiber optic (FO) components and photonic devices, which have potential applications in industrial, commercial and military systems and equipment. These devices are widely used in battlefield, space surveillance, medical diagnosis, crime fighting, and detection of terrorist activities. Performance capabilities of fiber optic components for possible applications in WDM and DWDM systems are summarized. Photonic devices and sensors for forward battlefield applications are identified with emphasis on performance and reliability. Performance parameters of Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), Erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers (EDWAs), and optical hybrid amplifiers (OHAs) comprising of EDFAs and Raman amplifiers are discussed with emphasis on bandwidth, gain-flatness, data handling capability, channel capacity and cost-effectiveness