Amplifying optical fiber and method of producing it

Details Amplifying optical fiber and method of producing it Amplifying optical fiber and method of producing it

1998-06-05

2001-09-04

Moskowitz, Nelson (Department: 3642)

Optical: systems and elements

Optical amplifier

Particular active medium

C359S341100, C372S040000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06285494

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The invention concerns an amplifying optical fiber, comprising an optical fiber core and an optical fiber sheath, where most of the volume of the optical fiber core is made of a material with good transmission properties, and in which, as amplification material, complexes composed of rare-earth ions sheathed with a separator substance, are statistically distributed.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Such an amplifying optical fiber and a method for its production is known from my German application DE 44 20 287 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,852 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for background. In the first place the known amplifying optical fiber is one in which the amplification of the light takes place in the 1550 nm wavelength range. Such amplifying optical fibers exhibit a favorable relationship between the pumping power and the amplification. For example, if the core of the amplifying optical fiber is doped with erbium, a pumping power of 30 mW can achieve a 40 dB amplification.
To obtain the same result with an amplifying optical fiber in the 1330 nm wavelength range, where the core is doped with praseodymium for example, a pumping power of 500 mW is required.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The technical problem, to which the invention is directed, is therefore to create an amplifying optical fiber which can achieve the highest possible amplification with the smallest possible pumping power. This applies basically to all types of amplifying optical fibers, i.e., both fibrous optical waveguides as well as planar optical conductors arranged on a substrate, and for all imaginable wavelength ranges. Since the production of amplifying optical fibers with sufficient amplification in the 1330 nm wavelength range is greatly desired, such a one is proposed whereby a sufficient amplification requires a pumping power that is well under 100 mW. In the amplifying optical fibers to be created, the likelihood, that a portion of the light power generated by the pumping laser, will be absorbed by the phonons of the host lattice, should be eliminated or very sharply reduced.
The invention solves this technical problem in that the amplification material is composed of amorphous agglomerates from a number of complexes. By this measure it is achieved that as large a number of rare-earth ions as possible is included in the core of the amplifying optical fiber, so that a given pumping power optimally excites the latter into stimulated emission, and a coherent light amplification is achieved.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of a best mode embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.


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