Analysis of a phase mismatched three waveguide coupler with an optical amplifier

A novel optical amplifier is proposed and analyzed. This device consists of three parallel waveguides and each has a slightly different propagation constant, that is, each waveguide is slightly phase mismatched and couplings among these waveguides are weak. Two adjacent waveguides are passive and the third one is active and all end facets of waveguides are antireflection coated, so that optical feedback can be eliminated and the active waveguide is a traveling wave type amplifier. Because of a phase mismatched configuration, this device can be used to tap optical signals without much power reduction in optical transmission lines. Signals coming into the device are weakly coupled to the active waveguide via the passive waveguide in between and they are amplified through the active waveguide. Characteristics of this device are studied and parameters which are required to design the device are also given as an example.