Understanding of optical amplifiers

Optical amplifier is a sub-system product which can amplify optical signal in optical fiber communication system. The principle of the optical amplifier is basically based on the excited radiation of the laser, by converting the energy of the pump light into the energy of the signal light to achieve amplification. Optical amplifiers can generally be divided into fiber optic amplifiers and semiconductor optical amplifiers. Fiber amplifiers can also be divided into erbium-doped (Er) fiber amplifiers, praseodymium doped (Pr) fiber amplifiers and Raman amplifiers. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, which operate at 1550nm wavelength, have been widely used in optical fiber communication industry. The praseodymium doped amplifier can operate at 1310nm wavelength, but due to the unsatisfactory conversion efficiency, it is still in the laboratory research stage. Raman amplifier is a new type of amplifier that has been commercialized in recent years, which is mainly used in the occasions that require distributed amplification. Semiconductor optical amplifiers have small structure and easy integration, and have been favored by many people. However, due to the unsatisfactory polarization effect, it has not been commercialized on a large scale.

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