Thulium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (TDFA)

TDFA for S-band amplification

A thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) is often used for light amplification in the Near Infra-Red (NIR). Figure 1 shows major transitions for NIR emission. This article describes a TDFA used for light amplification in 1.45-1.5 µm.

Figure 1: Major NIR emission wavelengths from thulium ion.

TDFA for 1.45-1.5 µm (S-band)

Thulium (Tm) shows a broad emission centered at 1.47 µm, and the spectral range covers the S-band; therefore TDFA has been used in optical communication using the S-band.

Pumping scheme

One wavelength for pumping a S-band TDFA is 1.4 µm , where a pump laser diode is commercially available. The pumping scheme is shown in Figure 2. Thulium ion shows a weak Ground-State Absorption (GSA: ³H₆→³F₄) and a strong Excited-State Absorption (ESA: ³F₄→³H₄) at 1.4 µm, and amplification takes place by the following steps:

Figure 2: Energy diagram and amplification in Tm-doped fiber using 1.4-µm pumping.

Another choice of pumping wavelength is 1.05 µm . The energy diagram and pumping scheme are shown in Figure 3. This scheme would be superior for high-power amplification than the 1.4-µm pumping, as high-powered Yb-doped fiber lasers are commercially available in this wavelength range. The efficiency is, though, fundamentally lower due to the larger energy difference between the pump and signal; the larger energy difference results in excess heat (see dotted lines in Figure 3).

Figure 3: Energy diagram and amplification in Tm-doped fiber using 1.0-µm pumping. (The dotted line indicates heat radiation due to multiphonon relaxation.)

Choice of host glass

Another important factor for S-band amplification is the choice of host glass material. Silica glass – which is the most commonly used host glass for optical fiber – shows a poor emission efficiency due to its large phonon energy. In silica glass, a Tm ion excited at the ³H₄ level rapidly relaxes to the ³H₅ level by multiphonon relaxation and thus does not emit a photon. An optical fiber made by low-phonon-energy host glass, such as fluoride fiber or tellurite fiber, is needed for efficient amplification in the S-band.

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Reference

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