Design, optimization, and analysis of thulium-doped optical fiber amplifiers for E-band communication

A thulium-doped (Tm3+) optical fiber amplifier (TDFA) module operating in the E-band is proposed. The bandwidth limitation inherent in E-band amplifiers employing rare-earth element doping is mitigated through the utilization of the amplifier module designed with a parallel combination of the two TDFAs. The performance of the amplifier is effectively analyzed through the optimization of parameters including TDF length, Tm3+ density, doping-radius of Tm3+, numerical aperture, and input signal power to the TDFAs. An average gain of 37.12 dB and a noise figure <3.93dB are obtained in the wavelength region of 1412 to 1460 nm with a maximum of 41.54 dB at 1432 nm having a moderately uniform gain. The impact of the nonlinear ion-ion interaction mechanism (IM) on the signal is also investigated for the designed amplifier module. Having obtained the optimized parameter set, the percentage increase of 0.029% and decreases of 0.043% in the signal gain at the wavelengths of 1420 and 1448 nm, respectively, are obtained considering the IM effects. (c) 2024 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)