| 摘要 |
A device in accordance with the invention uses erbium-doped optical amplifiers (EDFA), wave division multiplexers (WDM) and optical isolators to implement a dual wavelength bidirectional (single fiber) optical amplifier module. The amplifier module advantageously allows communication network managers to increase fiber utilization while simultaneously reducing the cost of signal amplification hardware across a fiber optic network, and simplifies field installation and maintenance. Using a novel configuration of conventional components, a system in accordance with the invention utilizes EDFAs to provide bidirectional signal amplification in the 1550 nanometer optical fiber transmission window. One embodiment of the invention uses two EDFAs to provide amplification of the (bidirectional) signal wavelengths. Signals are coupled in and out of a conventional single-mode fiber via WDM filters. In another embodiment, a single EDFA is used to amplify both (bidirectional) transmission signals. By providing bidirectional amplification through a single optical fiber, a system in accordance with the invention can advantageously reduce by half the strands of fiber cable needed to establish a link between two communication sites. |
