Stephen David Fourte

Title: Stephen David Fourte and Optical Amplifier Innovations.

Introduction

Stephen David Fourte is an inventor based in Devon, Great Britain, associated with optical amplifier technologies. His patent work addresses gain control in optical communications systems, including methods for managing signal power across multiple wavelengths. He is associated with Bookham Technology Limited and has 2 patents listed in the provided information.

Latest Patents

Variable Gain Optical Amplifiers. This invention describes an erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) with a control system that adjusts optical gain. Input and output detectors monitor signal power, while feed-forward and feedback arrangements use those measurements to guide the pump driver. An adaptive proportional-integral controller can dynamically adjust its control coefficients in response to monitored output power and the required gain profile, supporting rapid gain control.

Optical Amplifiers. This invention concerns a multichannel optical amplifier designed to maintain substantially constant gain tilt when its gain set point changes. The system uses an erbium-doped fibre loop, a pump amplifier, and a variable optical attenuator to control gain across channels of different wavelengths. A proportional-integral controller adjusts the gain-tilt adaptation profile to compensate for the amplifier’s characteristics at different set points, helping maintain channel powers during system changes.

Career Highlights

Fourte’s listed patent work focuses on optical amplification and control in fibre-optic systems. The inventions address practical challenges in maintaining desired gain profiles and signal levels as operating conditions or system settings change.

Collaborations

Fourte is associated with Bookham Technology Limited. The provided information also names Ian Peter McClean and Jonathon Stuart Drake as coworkers, though it does not specify their roles in the listed inventions.

Conclusion

Stephen David Fourte’s two listed patents reflect work on adaptive gain and gain-tilt control for optical amplifiers, with the aim of supporting stable signal performance in multichannel optical systems.