Dynamic modeling of the EDFA and the all-optical gain control technique

Author(s)

Rafael Martins Buck de Godoy

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação
• Defense date: 2010-07-19

Examining board members

Aldário Chrestani Bordonalli; Antonio Sergio Bezerra Sombra; Evandro Conforti

• Advisor: Aldário Chrestani Bordonalli

Abstract

In recent reconfigurable optical network applications, the wavelength division multiplexing is adopted as the transmission technique since it can give the network dynamic characteristics that optimize the transmission of signals and the use of the available bandwidth. However, depending on the number of channels coupled into Erbium doped fiber amplifiers of such networks and, therefore, on the optical input power, the per-channel in the saturated amplifier can change due to network reconfiguration, leading to serious penalties for excess or lack of optical power at the receiver end, deteriorating, or even preventing the transmission of information. Thus, automatic gain control techniques have been proposed to reduce the dependence of the EDFA gain on the number of coupled channels in optical networks. The aim of this study was to first develop a mathematical model for the EDFA. Then, this model was studied and adapted to incorporate the all-optical automatic gain control technique. As a result, a simulation routine that allows for the prediction of the gain-controlled amplifier behavior under various operating conditions was obtained, providing a useful tool for analysis and design of EDFAs for reconfigurable networks (AU)