EDFA Amplifier

Raman Amplifier
Semiconductor
Amplifier
A COMPARISON BASED STUDY

Prepared and Presented By:

Saimunur Rahman
Metric No: C093003
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering
International Islamic University Chittagong

Introduction to Optical Amplifiers

In order to transmit signals over long distances (>100 km) it is

necessary to compensate for attenuation losses within the fiber.

Initially this was accomplished with an optoelectronic module

consisting of an optical receiver, a regeneration and equalization
system, and an optical transmitter to send the data.

Although functional this arrangement is limited by the optical to

electrical and electrical to optical conversions.

Several types of optical amplifiers have since been demonstrated

to replace the OE electronic regeneration systems.

Introduction to Optical Amplifiers

(Cont.)

These systems eliminate the need for E-O and O-E conversions.
This is one of the main reasons for the success of todays optical
communications systems.

Optical Amplifiers

The general form of an optical amplifier:

Optical Amplifier Types

Some types of Optical Amplifiers are:

Semiconductor optical amplifiers(SOAs)

Fiber Raman and Brillouin amplifiers

Rare earth doped fiber amplifiers

The most practical optical amplifiers to date include the SOA and
EDFA types.
New pumping methods and materials are also improving the
performance of Raman amplifiers.

Today we shall talk about these

Optical Amplifiers
and
some comparisons among
them.

EDFA Amplifier
An Overview

A figure of EDFA Device

Inside an EDFA

History of EDFA Amplifier

Before the invention of EDFAs regenerators we're used to amplify

signal which was very costly and inefficient to use.
Idea for EDFA invented in 1960s
First commercial viable EDFA invented in 1987 by researchers
from Southampton University and AT&T Bell Laboratories.

What is EDFA Amplifier?

EDFA stands for Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier.

Where, Erbium is a chemical element of lanthanide series in periodic

table.

Erbium symbol is Er and atomic number is 68.

Erbium looks like a silvery-white solid metal when artificially isolated.

Erbium's principal uses involve its pink-colored Er3+ions, which have

optical fluorescent properties particularly useful in certain laser
applications.

Erbium-doped glasses or crystals can be used as optical amplification

media, where erbium (III) ions are optically pumped at around 980nm
or 1480nm and then radiate light at 1530nm in stimulated emission.

What is EDFA Amplifier? (Cont.)

Fig: Erbium-colored glass

This process results in an unusually mechanically

simplelaseroptical amplifier for signals transmitted by fiber
optics.

This is known as Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier or simply

EDFA.

Erbium doped fiber: Profile

Basic EDFA overview

EDFA convert optical signal to another amplified optical signal

without using any electrical domain.

Fig: Basic Block diagram of EDFA

Working Principle of EDFA

Fig: Energy level transferring block

Working Principle of EDFA (Cont.)

The 980 nm pump laser excites erbium ions from lower energy
level 1 into a higher energy level 3.

From level 3 the erbium ions goes to level 2.

From level 2 the erbium ion into x which 1550nm signal which
jumps back to lower level 1.

In this there is emission of 1550nm photon.

This process is known a stimulated emission.

EDFA has an amplification window for optical wave analysis for

which the optical fiber has useable gain.

This wavelength range is gain able by a properties of dopained

ion, the glass structure of optical fiber and the wavelength and
power of pump laser.

Schematic diagram of EDFA

Gain Spectrum for EDFA

Since the gain spectrum of erbium

resembles a 3-level atom it is possible to
model the gain properties using this
approach.

Several different wavelength bands have

been designated for wavelength division
multiplexing
and
EDFAs
have
been
designed to operate in these bands.

The divisions have been designated as:

S-Band1480-1520nm

C-Band1521-1560 nm

L-Band 1561-1620nm

Optical Gain of EDFA

Rare earth doped optical amplifiers work much like a laser.

The primary difference is that they do not have a resonator.

Amplification occurs primarily through the stimulated mission

process.

The medium is pumped until a population inversion state is

achieved. Pump powers are typically several 20-250 mW. An
isolator is used to reduce reflections at the input to the amplifier.
A narrow band optical filter is used to reduce transmission of
amplified spontaneous emission frequency components.

The resultant optical gain depends both on the optical frequency

and the local beam intensity within the amplifier section.

Optical Gain of EDFA (Cont.)

For basic discussion consider a two-level homogeneously

broadened medium.

The gain coefficient can be expressed as:

Here, is the peak gain, is the optical frequency of the incident

signal, is the transition frequency, P is the optical power of the
incident signal, T2 is the dipole relaxation time, and Ps is the
saturation power.

Typically T2 is small < 1ps, and the saturation power Ps depends

on gain medium parameters such as the fluorescence time and
the transition cross section.

Gain and noise figure of EDFA

(Sample)

Fig: A Characteristic plot of gain and noise figure for an erbium doped fiber
amplifier pumped ~30 mW at 980 nm.

EDFA Gain Equalization

Gain equalization can be

accomplished in several ways:

Thin film filters

Long period fiber gratings

Chirped fiber Bragg gratings

Gain Flattering

Characteristics of EDFAs:
(Advantages)

High power transfer efficiency from pump to signal power (>

50%).
Wide spectral band amplification with relative flat gain (>20dB)
useful for WDM applications.
Saturation output> 1mW (10 to 25 dBm).
Gain-time constant long (>100 msec) to overcome patterning
effects and inter-modulation distortions( low noise).
Large dynamic range.
Low noise figure.
Polarization independent.
Suitable for long-haul applications.

Disadvantages of EDFAs:

Relatively large devices (km lengths of fiber) not easily

integrated with other devices.
ASE amplified spontaneous emission. There is always some
output even with no signal input due to some excitation of ions in
the fiber spontaneous noise.
Cross-talk effects.

Gain saturation effects.

Applications of EDFA

EDFAcanbeusedas:

Poweramplifiers

Inlineamplifiers,

Aswellaspreamplifiers.

Raman Amplifier
An Overview

A figure of Raman Amplifier

Device

History of Raman Amplifier

The Raman scattering of light was discovered more than 70 years

ago and was named after one of the authors of the discovery.
In 1971 Stolen et al experimentally observed the stimulated
Raman emission in a single-mode optical fiber.
This
experiment
was
the
beginning
of
more
than
25yearsdevelopment of practical Raman fiber amplifiers and
lasers.
In 1980 the Raman amplifier was started.
From 1990 we are practically using
communication.

these

devices

for

What is Raman Amplifier?

Raman amplifier is a device which takes input and amplified in

A
the same direction or opposite direction with pump laser .
Here is a very important rule/formula we must consider for this
amplification.
Wavelength < Wavelength
Usually a few tens of nm

The mechanism behind Raman

Amplifier

The mechanism behind the Raman amplification is Stimulated

Raman Scattering (SRS).
SRS is a non linear effect of optical fiber.
For the SRS the optical power must b greater than the threshold
to happen at least minimum 500mW. This is a codition.
Now we will look at how it actually happens.

The mechanism behind Raman

Amplifier (Cont.)

The photon of pump beam p is scattered by

molecules in the fiber medium and become
the lower energy photon s .
The valance of the energy becomes vibration
and dissipated in the fiber medium.
For instance optical power this non linear
effect can transfer most of the pump power
p into signal power s.

Raman Gain Coefficient

The frequency difference between p

and s has to match a relationship in
order to fully use of this non linear
effect.
This is sown here by using Raman
gain coefficient graph.

Raman Gain Coefficient (Cont.)

First picture is showing the pump laser

at 1535nm which has more higher
signal to data signal.
In second picture, the pump laser
power transferred to the signal power
as shown here.

Raman Amplifier Types

There are basically two types of Raman

amplifiers as given here:
Distributed Raman Amplifier (DRA) uses
the transmission fiber itself as the medium,
into which a backward pump is injected.
Discrete (Lumped) Raman Amplifier
(RA) The amplifier consists of a coil of
dedicated fiber together with pumps.

Real World Raman Amplifier

Application

For getting the full benefits of

amplification EDFA and Raman
amplifiers as used together.
Distributed amplifier amplifies the
signal in a backward direction.
EDFA amplifier amplifies the
signal in a forward direction.
Here we have shown the figure of
signal levels and how it changed.

Properties of Raman Amplifiers:

The peak resonance in silica fibers occurs

about 13THz from the pump wavelength. At
1550nm this corresponds to a shift of about
100 nm.
As indicated power is transferred from shorter
wavelengths to longer wavelengths.
Coupling with the pump wavelength can be
accomplished either in the forward or counter
propagating direction.
Power is coupled from the pump only if the
signal channel is sending a 1 bit.

Pump Arrangement to Extend the

Range for St. Raman
Amplification:
An array of laser diodes can be used to

provide the Raman pump.

The beams are combined and then
coupled to the transmission fiber.
The
pump
beams
can
counter
propagate to the direction of the signal
beams.

Difficulties with Raman Amplifiers

The Pump and amplified signals are at different wavelengths.

Therefore the signal and the pump pulses will separate due to
dispersion (waveguide dispersion) after a certain propagation
distance.

A 1 psec pump pulse at 600nm separates from a 1 psec Stokes pulse

in~30 cm.

A second problem is that the pump power decreases along the fiber
length due to linear absorption and scattering Raman gain is
greater at the input end.

A final problem results from amplifying spontaneous Raman photons.

This occurs when the pump power is increased to offset attenuation
losses and spontaneous Raman photons are coupled into the guided
mode all along the length of the fiber. This increases noise.

A discrimination between EDFA

and RA after a long brief

Combined EDFA and RA

With only an EDFA at transmit end the

optical power level decreases over the
fiber length.
With an EDFA and Raman the
minimum optical power level occurs
toward the middle, not the end of the
end of the fiber.

Application of Raman Amplifier

Raman Amplifiers can be used as:

Preamplifiers

Poweramplifiers

Distributedamplifiersinanumberofdigitalandanalogicaltransmissi
onexperiments.

Semiconductor
Amplifier
An Overview

A figure of Semiconductor
Amplifier Device

Semiconductor Amplifier

An electrical current passed through the

device that excites the electrons in the
active region.

When photon(light) travel through the

active region it can cause these electron to
lose some of their extra energy in the form
of
more
photons
that
match
the
wavelength of the initial ones.

Therefore, an optical signal passing through

the active region is amplified and is said to
have experienced gain.

Semiconductor Amplifier (Cont.)

Both edges of the SOA are designed to have very low reflectivity
so that there are no unwanted reflections of the signal within the
semiconductor itself.
This is the main difference from regular laser that have reflective
facets in order to build up the intensity of light within the
semiconductor material.

SOA: Amplification Process

Semiconductor
have
valance
and
conduction band.
At thermal equilibrium valance band has
higher population.
Under population inversion condition
conduction
band
will
have
higher
population.
Population inversion is achieved
forward biasing the p-n junction.

by

SOA Design

Characteristics of SOA:

Polarization dependent require polarization maintaining fiber.

Relatively high gain ~20 dB.

Output saturation power 5-10 dBm.

Large BW.

Can operate at 800,1300,and 1500nm wavelength regions.

Compact and easily integrated with other devices

Characteristics of SOA (Cont.)

Can be integrated into arrays

High noise figure and cross-talk levels due to nonlinear
phenomenon such as 4-wave mixing. This feature restricts
the use of SOAs.
Limited in operation below 10Gb/s. (Higher rates are possible
with lower gain.)

SOA Vs. Semiconductor Laser

Both are similar and in principle and construction.

Essentially Fabry-Perot cavities, with amplification achieved by
external pumping.
The key of SOA is to preventing self-oscillations gathering laser
output.
SOAs is electrically pumped by injected current.

SOA Applications

Power booster.
In-line amplifier.
Detector preamplifier.
Optical switching element.
Wavelength converter.

Optical Amplifiers (in short)

Advantages
And
Disadvantages

ErDopedFiberAmplifierEDFA
Advantages:

Highgain(4050dB),

Lownoise(35dB),

Lowpolarizationsensitivity,

EDFAsarefullycompatiblewiththerestofthefiberoptictransmissionl
ink.

Limitations:

Largesize,

Highpumppowerconsumption(efficiency10dB/1mW).

RamanAmplifier(RA)
Advantages:

Lownoise(35dB).

Widegainbandwidth(upto10nm).

Distributedamplificationwithinthetransmissionfiber.

Limitations:

Lowgain(10dB).

Requirementofhighpumppower.

SemiconductorOpticalAmplifier
Advantages:

Smallsize.

Transmissionbidirectional.

SmalleroutputpowerthenEDFA.

LessexpensivethenEDFA.

Limitations:

Lowergain(2030dB)thenEDFA.

Highernoise(712dB)thenEDFA.

Polarizationdependence.

Highnonlinearity.

A short comparison
Between
discussed amplifiers

Optical Amplifier: Comparison

Thank You Guys

For
Tolerating me
And
Please make dua for me

Question/ Answer
Any Questions in your mind regarding this topic?
Feel free to ask
And
I would love to answer them