Statement of the Problem: For the past decades, erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) has become a key element of modern telecommunication system due to Er3+ ion emission at 1.53 mm attributed to the 4 I13/2 → 4 I15/2 transition [1, 2]. The commercial EDFAs used in communication networks are made up of silica glass that has a relatively narrow bandwidth emission (~35 nm) resulting in a narrow gain curve, which limits its applications to meet broadband transmission. Among different host matrices, fluorophosphate (FP) glasses have received great interest for laser and optical amplifier applications because of their characteristic properties [3, 4]. Therefore, Er3+ -doped FP glasses can enlarge the emission cross-section and improve luminous efficiency because of the characteristic features of Er3+ ions and advantageous properties of mixed fluoride and phosphate glasses [5]. Hence, the present study carried out spectroscopic studies on Er3+ - doped FP glasses for different concentrations of Er3+. Methodology: Er3+ -doped fluorophosphate glasses were prepared by a conventional melt quenching technique and were characterized through spectroscopic techniques. Findings: From absorption, emission and decay measurements, the important spectroscopic properties such as bandwidths, emission crosssections and lifetime were evaluated for significant 1.53 mm emission band. The emission cross-section and lifetime were found to be of the order of 2.0´10-20 cm2 and 10 ms, respectively. These desirable parameters are used to see the potentiality of the material for laser gain media. Conclusion & Significance: It was concluded that higher dopant Er concentration improved the 1.53 mm emission band characteristic properties. The results indicate that this glass composition can enable construction of short, highly efficient fiber or planar waveguide amplifiers. To efficiently extract the stored energy with low injection energy at low laser fluence operation and make the system compact, a bidirectional ring amplifier (BRA) with twin pulses is proposed. The characteristics of the bidirectional ring amplifier on energy flow, extraction efficiency and output energy capability are studied. The simulation results show that an extraction efficiency of 62.3% at the B integral limit can be obtained at low average fluence of 10.3 J/cm2 and the low injection energy of 3.9 mJ in the bidirectional ring amplifier. The output performance of the bidirectional ring amplifier with twin pulses is demonstrated.
Share this article