Optical fiber amplifier with gain equalizing circuit

• US 5,436,760 A
• Filed: 07/14/1994
• Issued: 07/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakabayashi, Yukinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Moskowitz, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US08/273,137
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 359/124, 359/132, 359/194, 359/234, 359/236, 359/341, 359/589, 359/590, 372/23, 372/26
• US Class Current: 359/337.22
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29391 Power equalisation of different channels, e.g. power flattening
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/06 Gain non-linearity, distortion; Compensation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/10023 by functional association of additional optical elements, e.g. filters, gratings, reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1003 tunable optical elements, e.g. acousto-optic filters, tunable gratings
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2912 characterised by the medium used for amplification or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2941 using an equalising unit, e.g. a filter H04B10/296 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0221 Power control, e.g. to keep the total optical power constant

Abstract

An optical fiber amplifier includes an optical amplifying section having an Er-doped fiber. A gain equalizing section is provided at secondary stage of the optical amplifying section and has an optical filter unit for compensating for wavelength dependency characteristics of a signal gain at the optical amplifying section. The gain equalizing section has a filter rotating device and the optical filter unit has et least two optical filters of transparent multi-layer film in which a layer of high refractive index and a layer of low refractive index are alternately and repeatedly stacked. The optical filter is rotated by the filter rotating device such that the wavelength transmission characteristics of the optical filter are set by changing an angle of incidence of the signal light with respect to the optical filter and the wavelength dependency characteristics of the signal gain are compensated for. The optical filter which is of the multi-layer film and which is rotatably arranged improves wavelength tunability.

Claims

1. An optical fiber amplifier comprising:

an optical fiber amplifying section having an Er-doped optical fiber;

a gain equalizing section provided at a secondary stage of said optical fiber amplifying section, said gain equalizing section comprising a filter rotating means; and

an optical filter unit for compensating for wavelength dependent characteristics of a signal gain at said optical amplifying section, said optical filter unit comprising at least two optical filters each of which is a transparent multi-layer film with a layer of high refractive index and a layer of low refractive index being alternately and repeatedly stacked, each of said at least two optical filters being rotatably carried by said filter rotating means such that the wavelength transmission characteristics of said optical filter are set by changing an angle of incidence of a signal beam with respect to said optical filter unit and the wavelength dependency characteristics of said signal gain are compensated for.

2. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, in which a space between said at least two optical filters is larger than a coherent length of the signal beam.

3. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, in which said layer of high refractive index is made of titanium dioxide and said layer of low refractive index is made of magnesium fluoride.

4. The optical fiber amplifier according to claim 1, which further comprises a gain monitoring section for detecting wavelength dependency characteristics of said signal gain, said gain monitoring section comprising:

a selection means for selecting a predetermined wavelength channel from a plurality of signal beams amplified at said optical amplifying section;

a detection means for detecting levels of light intensity for each of the wavelength channels selected by said selection means; and

an arithmetic control means for computing mutual level deviations of light intensity of said wavelength channels at said levels of light intensity detected by said detection means, said arithmetic control means operating to control said gain equalizing means such that any deviations among said wavelength channels become minimum.