Gain equalization of erbium doped fibre amplifiers with tuneable long-period gratings

• Main Author: Nhlapo, Thabiso J.
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Optical amplifiers; Optical fibers; Optical communications
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2176

M.Ing. === This thesis is about the gain equalization of erbium doped fibre amplifiers (EDFA), which is a key technology for enabling wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems. In order to flatten dynamically the EDFA gain spectrum, a tuneable long-period grating filter was demonstrated. Long-period gratings were fabricated by using a KrF excimer laser combined with the metal amplitude mask technique. The transmission spectrum characteristic of the long- period grating was simulated theoretically by the coupled-mode theory. The coupling between the core and cladding modes of the long-period grating was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The EDFA was constructed by using the forward pumping configuration consisting of pump laser source, WDM couplers, an optical isolator, and the erbium-doped fibre. The EDFA was characterized theoretically and experimentally for WDM applications. The tuneable long-period grating filter design is based on the tuneable coupler that uses the Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. The tuneable filter was demonstrated by equalizing the EDFA gain spectrum and the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source. The main advantage of this filter compared to other optical filters is its tuneability of the attenuation over a wide range of pump power.