Abstract

The gain saturation characteristics of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, which are of importance for applications in optical fiber communications, will depend strongly on the relative importance of homogeneous and inhomogeneous saturation. We have recently reported low temperature spectral hole burning measurements in an erbium-doped fiber with an alumino-silicate core¹. From these measurements the homogeneous linewidth was determined to be 11.5 nm. This is consistent with the homogeneous gain saturation observed for alumino-silicate fibers.² For erbium-doped fibers with GeO₂:SiO₂ cores, on the other hand, inhomogeneous saturation effects have been reported.³

© 1990 Optical Society of America