Optical amplifier device used in telecommunications comprises an optical pump, a light amplifier, light guides, and passive optical coupling elements

摘要

Optical amplifier device comprises a compact assembly consisting of an optical pump (3), a light amplifier (4), first passive optical coupling elements (8, 9), a first guide (7) for the light to be amplified, second passive optical coupling elements (11, 12), and a second light guide (10) for the amplified light. The light amplifier (4) receives the light to be amplified from a first guide (7) via the first passive optical coupling elements (8, 9), and the energy from the optical pump (3). The second passive optical coupling elements (11, 12) collect the amplified light which is delivered to the second light guide (10). The light amplifier (4) is designed such that the light to be amplified by it can travel along at least one path, and preferably along two geometrically staggered paths. The first passive optical coupling elements (8, 9) are designed to collimate the path(s) of the light to be amplified on to the light amplifier (4) The light amplifier is designed to guide the light to be amplified and/or the amplified light and/or the pump energy in one dimension. The light guides (8, 9, 11, 12), the light pump (3) and the light amplifier (4) are integrated into a compact structure, and at least one of these components are implanted on a substrate. A housing (14) accommodates the components of the optical amplifier device, and the bottom of the housing (14) is defined by the substrate. The light amplifier (4) comprises a material selected from glass, glass derivatives, polymers, crystals and ceramics. The material is doped with a rare earth ion or complex, or with a metallic ion, particularly chromium, or comprises doped nanoparticles. The passive optical elements (8, 9, 11, 12) are selected from micro-lenses (8, 11), isolators (9, 12), pump-signal wavelength multiplexers, static or variable equalizing filters, static or variable attenuators, and rejection filters. The device includes at least one auxiliary regulating, monitoring or control element selected from regulating, monitoring, coupling, filtering, channel (de)multiplexing, and switching elements. A gain equalizing filter is produced on at least one surface of one or more of the first and second passive optical coupling elements and the auxiliary elements, and on at least one of the input and output faces of the light amplifier (4). The light amplifier (4) comprises at least one face that reflects the wavelength of the light to be amplified so that the light can travel along several paths in the amplifier (4). A gain equalizing filter is produced on at least one of the reflecting faces. The device may comprise several light pumps (3), several light amplifiers (4), several first (8, 9) and second (11, 12) passive optical coupling elements, and/or several auxiliary elements accommodated in the housing (14).