High power wide band optical fiber amplifier for satellite communications

NP Photonics has developed high power C-band fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers for telecommunications, Lidar, and sensing. We are developing new glass and fiber technology that is the basis for new family of very compact, high gain, and low noise fiber amplifier products. NP Photonics has applied this approach to achieve more than 20dB gain across the C-band from 8cm long active fiber. We have delivered our customers 10W 1550nm fiber laser products by using fiber amplifier system. Current commercial available S-band fiber amplifier is based on thulium-doped fluoride fiber, which has mechanical strength and chemical durability issues. Current state-of-art technologies in C-band fiber amplifiers have been developed primarily for terrestrial applications and lack of reliability and radiation assessments. Both of them can not provide all features to meet the requirement of solicitation. In this proposal, we propose a high reliability, radiation hardness, high efficiency, rugged, compact, 1W optical fiber amplifier covering 1450-1560nm seamlessly by using new highly thulium and terbium co-doped tellurite fibers for S-band amplification and highly Er/Yb co-doped phosphate fibers for C-band amplification. A prototype will be delivered at the end of the Phase II of this SBIR effort. BENEFIT: The high power wide band optical fiber amplifier proposed here has the potential to be widely used in satellite communications. It can be used for coherent communication for airborne Lidars and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. It will also provide a wide range of opportunities in terrestrial-based communications, wavelength division multiplexed network, undersea free communications, sensing, scientific instrumentation, and R&D.