Abstract

A small signal analysis of the noise figure spectral distribution in erbium doped fiber amplifiers pumped near 980 and 1480 nm is presented. In the case where signal-spontaneous beat noise is the dominant cause of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation, it is shown that noise figures in the ±0.2-dB range around the 3-dB quantum limit are possible within a spectral band of 50 nm, with the result applying to λ_p = 980-nm and λ_p = 1460-nm pump wavelengths. For λ_p > 1460 nm, a noise figure penalty of 0.5 to 1.2 dB above the quantum limit is found. This study thus demonstrates the possibility of quantum limited or near quantum limited noise regime for amplification of wavelength division multiplexed signals in erbium doped fibers.

© 1990 Optical Society of America

Output saturation in a 980-nm pumped erbium-doped fiber amplifier

Richard S. Quimby
Appl. Opt. 30(18) 2546-2552 (1991)

Improvement of gain and noise figure by periodic bending of an erbium-doped fiber

A. H. Liang, H. Toda, and A. Hasegawa
Opt. Lett. 22(23) 1766-1768 (1997)

Spectral hole burning induced by reflected amplified spontaneous emission in erbium-doped silica optical fiber pumped at 980 nm

Sebastián Jarabo, Iñigo J. Sola, and José Sáez-Landete
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20(6) 1204-1211 (2003)

Low-noise operation of fluoride-based erbium-doped fiber amplifiers with ⁴I_11/2-level pumping

Yasutake Ohishi, Makoto Yamada, Terutoshi Kanamori, Shoichi Sudo, and Makoto Shimizu
Opt. Lett. 22(16) 1235-1237 (1997)

Experimental cross sections of erbium-doped silica fibers pumped at 1480 nm

Sebastián Jarabo and José Miguel Álvarez
Appl. Opt. 37(12) 2288-2295 (1998)