Effect of Bismuth Doping on Noise Figure of Er-Doped Silica Fiber

We investigate the spectral and amplification characteristics of Bi/Er co-doped fiber (BEDF) and Er-doped fiber (EDF), prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD). BEDF features a noise figure (NF) below 5.2 dB, the bandwidth with NF less than 4 dB is approximately 23 nm (1560–1583 nm), and that with a gain exceeding 25 dB is approximately 42 nm (1525–1567 nm). The quantum conversion efficiency (QCE) of BEDF at 1550 nm is 72.1% at a pump power of 300 mW. The saturated output power of BEDF at 1550 nm is 21.4 dBm. Raman spectra indicate that the maximum phonon energy of BEDF is lower than that of EDF. The fluorescence lifetime of the BEDF is 11.64 ms, which is longer than that of the EDF. These results show that co-doping with Bi ions could increase the fluorescence lifetime of Er
³⁺
, reduce the NF, and improve the QCE and saturated output power. Therefore, this type of BEDF is a promising gain medium for optical amplifiers and lasers.