In lightwave communications systems, just as in wired communication systems, there is a need for repeaters at regular intervals to amplify the signal to compensate for losses. In early lightwave systems this function was accomplished by using a photodetector to convert the lightwave signal to an electrical current waveform, amplifying it electronically, and then converting it back to an optical form with a laser or high-speed LED. This approach involved the use of additional components, which inevitably reduced the overall reliability of the system since each component has a certain probability of premature failure. Electronic amplification also limited the overall bandwidth of the lightwave system. In order to overcome these problems, researchers have studied and developed a number of different types of optical amplifiers, devices that directly amplify the optical signal without converting it to electronic form. The most commonly used optical amplifiers are the erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and the Raman fiber amplifier (RFA). These devices are discussed in the following sections of this chapter.
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Hunsperger, R.G. (2009). Optical Amplifiers. In: Integrated Optics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/b98730_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/b98730_13
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