Optical and electrical methods comparison for accurate measurement of erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) gain and noise figure

Emmanuel Jaunart; Bernard Heens; Jean-Christophe Froidure

doi:10.1117/12.201976

22 February 1995 Optical and electrical methods comparison for accurate measurement of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) gain and noise figure

Emmanuel Jaunart, Bernard Heens, Jean-Christophe Froidure

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2449, Fiber Optic Network Components; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.201976
Event: Advanced Networks and Services, 1995, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

At the present time, standards are not yet available to characterize EDFA performances. Several methods have to be tested to provide an accurate and reproducible measurement technique. This paper presents such an investigation for optical and electrical measurement methods. In the first part, the interpolation and polarization nulling optical techniques are presented. The experimental set-up is described in detail. These methods have been applied to measure the gain and the noise figure of EDFA. These measurements have been carried on a commercial EDFA. Meaningful discrepancies have been highlighted. These discrepancies have been analyzed. More especially, the insertion of a narrow band optical filter and the polarization dependence of noise have been investigated. Conclusions have been drawn explaining the measurement results differences. In the second part, the electrical method is detailed and analyzed. The influence of the laser RIN on the noise figure measurement is put into light. The signal spontaneous noise becomes a major contribution and care has to be taken to avoid it. Optical filtering of the signal is then highly recommended. Finally both electrical and optical methods are compared. The errors originating from respective methods are highlighted.

Citation Download Citation

Emmanuel Jaunart, Bernard Heens, and Jean-Christophe Froidure "Optical and electrical methods comparison for accurate measurement of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) gain and noise figure", Proc. SPIE 2449, Fiber Optic Network Components, (22 February 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.201976

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available