Performance of a distributed erbium-doped dispersion-shifted fiber amplifier

Continued improvements in the performance of a multi-kilometer, low-erbium-concentration fiber amplifier made by the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) seed fiber method are discussed. Transparency for a -20-dBm signal at 1.55 mu m and fiber length of 11.8 km was achieved with 20 mW of 1.48- mu m copropagating pump power. The wavelength dependence of the gain for this signal level is reported, and the distribution in small signal gain along a 22-km length using an optical domain reflectometer (OTDR) was measured. Simulations are presented to show the effect of erbium concentration, input signal level, and pump power required for transparency of a 50-km span.<
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