Design and fabrication of high gain-efficiency erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

The gain efficiency of a fully optimized erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is calculated as a function of the fiber numerical aperture and dopant confinement in the core and is shown to agree well with experimental data. A gain efficiency of 8.9 dB/mW is demonstrated. This is the best reported value to date for modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) fibers. In addition, the detrimental effect of pump and signal background losses on the optimal gain efficiency is considered in detail.<
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