An optical amplifier comprising a number of different gain media in order to perform multiwavelength automatic power control

摘要

An optical amplifier system containing a plurality of different gain media connected in series in order to amplify a signal having a number of different wavelengths. Each such media primarily amplifies only one wavelength of the signal. The system operates so as to control amplifier gain in order to maintain signal powers at a given equilibrium distribution with respect to wavelength. Preferably the amplifier system performs this multiwavelength automatic power control (MAPC), and multiwavelength automatic gain control (MAGC) automatically without any external electronic circuits. The system may comprise as single multistage optical amplifier consisting of the different gain medias or an amplifier cascade consisting of a plurality of discrete amplifiers, each amplifier containing one or more of the different gain medias. The different gain medias may include aluminosilicate erbium and germanosilicate erbium doped optical fibres.