A 1.55-/spl mu/m solid-state laser source for DWDM applications

We describe the design and operation of a 1550-nm diode pumped Er,Yb:glass laser with >130 mW of output power and a free running linewidth of /spl sim/22 kHz. Due to the low frequency relaxation oscillation, near shot limited relative intensity noise performance is obtained throughout the radio frequency (RF) range of interest for cable television and dense wavelength division multiplexed (CATV/DWDM) applications. For long-haul spans an intracavity lithium niobate phase modulator allows for chirping of the linewidth to bandwidths and at rates sufficient to defeat stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). For certain applications, the high output power can eliminate the need for an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA).