Abstract

Erbium doped fiber amplifiers near 1.53 μm have gained increasing attention because of their promise for application in optical fiber communications owing to their low insertion loss and polarization independent gain.¹ Recent studies using Er:silica and Er:germano-silica fibers² have shown inhomogeneous saturation characteristics, while for Er:alumino-germano-silica fibers³ the saturation was found to be mainly homogeneous. The determination of homogeneous and inhomogeneous components in the spectral gain profile is important in the optimization of the saturation properties of the amplifier and the determination of the types of glass that are best suited for multichannel applications.

© 1990 Optical Society of America