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:
Sep. 16, 2003
Filed:
Jul. 30, 2001
Shane J. Strutz, Columbia, MD (US);
Keith J. Williams, Dunkirk, MD (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus to enable the use of low cost high RIN optical sources for microwave photonic links by combining the wide-gain bandwidth and low cost of an EDFA, with the narrow gain bandwidth of a Brillouin amplifier. The hybrid Brillouin/EDFA (“hybrid amplifier”) apparatus of the present invention includes at least two couplers, a phase modulator, an Erbium-doped fiber, a laser source to pump the Erbium fiber, an optical circulator, and a length of fiber used for Brillouin amplification. Optical signals from the laser source are split into two optical paths by a polarization maintaining coupler. Optical signals passing through a first path are amplified by the Erbium doped fiber, and the amplified signals are passed through the optical circulator before sending the optical signals into one end of a spool of fiber in order to pump the Brillouin acoustic wave. Optical signals that follow a second path are phase modulated in a phase modulator at the Brillouin frequency and injected into an opposite end of the fiber spool in order to seed the Brillouin amplifier and improve its low frequency stability. The output of the Brillouin section of the hybrid amplifier is directed through the optical circulator, and the output may be used as an optical source for a photonic link.