chanelink logo
CHANELINK
English

Shanghai Institute of Optics and Mechanics proposes a new scheme of Er doped silicate fiber as an extended L-band broadband amplifier

908
2024-06-05 15:03:58
See translation

Recently, Hu Lili, a research group of the Advanced Laser and Optoelectronic Functional Materials Department of the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed a new scheme based on field strength optimization of Er doped silicate fiber as an extended L-band broadband amplifier. Relevant research achievements were published in Optics Letters under the title of "Er doped silicate fiber amplifiers in the L-band with flat gain".

The rapid development of big data and artificial intelligence has put forward higher requirements for the capacity of dense wave division multiplexers (DWDMs) in the new generation of optical communication systems. Compared to the mature C-band (1530-1565nm) erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), the L-band (1565-1625nm) EDFA has become a new generation of scalable optical communication products. However, the development of L-band EDFA faces difficulties and challenges: the gain of Er-doped fibers is limited by low longwave emission cross-sections and severe excited state absorption, resulting in very small gains for wavelengths greater than 1600nm. Therefore, how to improve the long wave gain of Er doped fiber materials is a key scientific problem that urgently needs to be solved in L-band broadband amplifiers.

The research team proposes a new scheme of micro ion field emphasis control to enhance the gain and spectral shaping of Er ions in a silicate fiber matrix. The feasibility of using silicate optical fibers as long wave gain enhancing substrates for Er ions has been confirmed both theoretically and experimentally. This scheme has achieved significant improvement in L-band gain and optimization of gain flatness in Er doped silicate optical fibers. At the same time, by adopting an all fiber scheme with heterogeneous fiber fusion, only a 1.5m long silicate fiber is used. At the longest wavelength of 1625nm in the L-band, the gain coefficient is 4.7dB/m, which is better than the 0.3dB/m of quartz fiber. In addition, the gain flatness of the fiber in the L-band is 0.8dB, which is better than the 5dB of quartz fiber. Compared to quartz fiber, this fiber has a higher doping concentration, shorter usage length, and larger gain coefficient, providing key material support for the new generation of L-band EDFA.

This work has received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and national key projects.


Figure 1: L-band gain of Er doped silicate optical fiber

Source: Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Related Recommendations

  • Tsinghua University makes progress in the field of pre sensing optical computing

    In the era of the Internet of Things, visual image sensors, as key devices in the intelligent society, are embedded in various devices such as mobile communication terminals, smart wearable devices, automobiles, and industrial machines. With the continuous expansion of applications, higher requirements have been put forward for the system power consumption, response speed, safety performance, and ...

    2024-08-05
    See translation

  • Laser link between European Space Agency containers and space

    The latest expansion of the European Space Agency's laboratory is essentially portable: this European Space Agency's mobile optical ground station is housed in a standard container and can be transported throughout Europe as needed for laser based optical communication with satellites - including NASA's Psyche mission, in space millions of kilometers away.The station has officially become a part o...

    2024-02-12
    See translation

  • Developing nanocavities for enhancing nanoscale lasers and LEDs

    As humanity enters a new era of computing, new small tools are needed to enhance the interaction between photons and electrons, and integrate electrical and photon functions at the nanoscale. Researchers have created a novel III-V semiconductor nanocavity that can limit light below the so-called diffraction limit, which is an important step towards achieving this goal.In the journal Optical Materi...

    2024-01-29
    See translation

  • Researchers Obtaining Scientific Returns from Raman Spectroscopy for External Bioexploration Using Lasers

    We investigated the potential of laser selection in a wide optical range from ultraviolet to visible light, and then to infrared (excitation wavelengths of 325, 532, 785, and 1064 nm), in order to combine and analyze extreme microorganisms related to Earth (such as Cryptomeria elegans, cold floating nematodes, and circular green algae), carbon water compound molecules, as well as simulated mineral...

    2023-10-23
    See translation

  • Laser cladding method improves the surface performance of parts

    Laser cladding, also known as laser metal deposition, is a process of depositing one material onto another.When the laser beam scans the target surface, metal powder or wire flow is fed into the molten pool formed by the laser beam, thereby producing the required material coating.The laser cladding method improves the surface properties of the parts, such as wear resistance, and allows for the rep...

    2023-12-28
    See translation