The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 07, 1985
Filed:
Aug. 11, 1982
Herbert J Shaw, Stanford, CA (US);
Marvin Chodorow, Stanford, CA (US);
Michel J Digonnet, Menlo Park, CA (US);
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US);
Abstract
An optical fiber bidirectional amplifier includes a pair of small diameter optical fibers, arranged in a side-by-side configuration, the first fiber providing a pumping source and the second fiber doped with a material which will lase at the frequency of the signal to be amplified. The signal to be amplified propagates through the second fiber to stimulate emission of coherent light from the lasing material, resulting in amplification of the signal. The refractive indexes of the first and second fibers are substantially identical, but the coupling characteristic provided by the geometrical relationship between the pair of fibers yields a wavelength dependent coupling efficiency. Specifically, the coupling efficiency at the wavelength of the pumping source is relatively high, while the coupling efficiency at the wavelength of the signal to be amplified is relatively low. Thus, the pumping illumination is coupled from the first fiber to the second fiber to stimulate the doping material in the second fiber, while the signal to be amplified remains relatively uncoupled, and is amplified by the coherent light emitted by the lasing material.