Abstract
The Er3+-doped optical fibre amplifier (EDFA) has stimulated much interest for possible application in future communication systems, since its gain band coincides with the third telecommunications window of silica fibre at a wavelength of 1.55μm1,2. Although Stark-splitting of the ground and metastable levels in erbium-doped glass generates a wide spectral bandwidth in an EDFA, its gain spectrum is typically irregular, with a sharp peak around 1.53μm and a broad band with reduced gain to longer wavelengths (see Figure 1, Curve A). Although the amplifier can be operated at wavelengths away from the peak gain3, disadvantages occur due to increased spontaneous-spontaneous beat noise and possible laser action at the peak gain wavelength.
© 1990 Optical Society of America
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