Challenges in the design and packaging of optical amplifiers for multiwavelength lightwave communication systems

With the worldwide deployment of optical amplifiers in single channel lightwave systems, engineers are now addressing the challenges of optical amplifier design for multiwavelength or wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) lightwave communication systems. This paper summarizes the present status of optically amplified WDM lightwave systems and comments on technical issues for packaged optical amplifiers and system performance. We discuss the manner in which WDM system requirements may influence future directions in optical amplifier packaging and integration.