U.S. patent application number 16/268315 was filed with the patent office on 2020-08-06 for master oscillator power amplifier.
This patent application is currently assigned to II-VI Delaware, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is II-VI Delaware, Inc.. Invention is credited to Scott Dahl, Siegfried Fleischer, Aravanan Gurusami, Thomas W. McNamara, Martin R. Williams, Timothy K. Zahnley.
Application Number | 20200251877 16/268315 |
Document ID | 20200251877 / US20200251877 |
Family ID | 1000004970235 |
Filed Date | 2020-08-06 |
Patent Application | download [pdf] |
United States Patent
Application |
20200251877 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Williams; Martin R. ; et
al. |
August 6, 2020 |
Master Oscillator Power Amplifier
Abstract
A fiber-based master optical power amplifier (MOPA) is
configured to utilize a pump source that operates in pulse mode
with the arrival time of the pump pulses coordinated with the
arrival time of the input pulses. The width of the pump pulses is
also controlled, thus providing a mechanism for controlling both
the amount of pump energy injected into the fiber amplifier, as
well as the overlap in time between the pump pulse and the seed
pulse. As the pulse repetition interval (PRI) of the input seed
pulse changes, the timing of the pump pulses and their width are
also changed so that a "constant gain" environment is created
within the amplifying medium, providing an essentially constant
energy output pulse, regardless of differences in ASE generated
during different PRIs.
Inventors: |
Williams; Martin R.; (Big
Flats, NY) ; Zahnley; Timothy K.; (Savona, NY)
; McNamara; Thomas W.; (Corning, NY) ; Gurusami;
Aravanan; (Morgan Hill, CA) ; Dahl; Scott;
(Lindley, NY) ; Fleischer; Siegfried; (Los Gatos,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
II-VI Delaware, Inc. |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
II-VI Delaware, Inc.
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
1000004970235 |
Appl. No.: |
16/268315 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01S 17/02 20130101;
H01S 3/2308 20130101; H03K 7/08 20130101; H01S 3/06754
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01S 3/23 20060101
H01S003/23; H01S 3/067 20060101 H01S003/067; H03K 7/08 20060101
H03K007/08; G01S 17/02 20060101 G01S017/02 |
Claims
1. A master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) comprising: a section
of doped optical fiber for providing signal gain to input light in
the presence of a pump light beam operating at a defined
wavelength; an input pulse source for generating seed pulses
applied as a first input to the section of doped optical fiber, the
input pulse source designed to adjust a pulse repetition interval
(PRI) between adjacent pulses in response to a "PRI change" control
signal; and a pump source for generating pump pulses applied as a
second input to the section of doped optical fiber, wherein the
presence of the seed and pump pulses within the section of doped
optical fiber amplifies the power of the seed pulses and generates
high-power optical output pulses, the pump source designed to
control pump pulse parameters including repetition rate and pulse
width to maintain an essentially constant signal gain in the
section of doped optical fiber to provide transient-free energy in
the high-power optical output pulses regardless of changes in the
seed pulse PRI.
2. The MOPA as defined in claim 1 wherein the MOPA further
comprises a laser driver circuit coupled to the input pulse source;
a pump driver circuit coupled to the pump source; and a control
circuit coupled to the laser driver circuit and the pump driver
circuit for transmitting the PRI change control signal to both the
laser driver circuit and the pump driver circuit.
3. The MOPA as defined in claim 2 wherein the pump driver circuit
modifies a pump pulse width in the presence of a PRI change control
signal to maintain an essentially constant accumulation of
amplified spontaneous emission between seed pulses, regardless of
changes in PRI.
4. The MOPA as defined in claim 1 wherein the MOPA further
comprises a delay element for controlling arrival times of the seed
pulses and the pump pulses at the section of doped optical fiber
such that a pump pulse arrives slightly before its associated seed
pulse.
5. The MOPA as defined in claim 2 wherein the control circuit is
configured to adjust a width of the pump pulse as a function of
changes in seed pulse PRI to maintain constant gain in the section
of doped optical fiber.
6. The MOPA as defined in claim 1 wherein the MOPA further
comprises a feedback path between the output of the section of
doped optical fiber and the pump driver circuit, the feedback path
used to adjust either one or both of a drive current and a bias
voltage applied to the pump source.
7. The MOPA as defined in claim 1 wherein the section of doped
optical fiber includes an erbium dopant and the pump source
generates pump pulses at a wavelength of 980 nm.
8. A LIDAR system comprising a master optical power amplifier
(MOPA) source of high power optical pulses, the master optical
power amplifier including a section of doped optical fiber for
providing signal gain to input light in the presence of a pump
light beam operating at a defined wavelength and generating as an
output high power optical pulses which are thereafter directed to
an external target; an input pulse source for generating seed
pulses applied as a first input to the section of doped optical
fiber, the input pulse source designed to adjust a pulse repetition
interval (PRI) between adjacent pulses in response to a "PRI
change" control signal; and a pump source for generating pump
pulses applied as a second input to the section of doped optical
fiber, wherein the presence of the seed and pump pulses within the
section of doped optical fiber amplifies the power of the seed
pulses and generates the high power optical output pulses, the pump
source designed to control pump pulse parameters including
repetition rate and pulse width to maintain an essentially constant
signal gain in the section of doped optical fiber to provide
transient-free energy in the high power optical output pulses
regardless of changes in the seed pulse PRI; an optical receiver
configured to detect at least a portion of returned optical pulses
reflected or scattered by the target into the LIDAR system, the
optical receiver further configured to analyze the portion of
returned optical pulses and determine therefrom a distance between
the LIDAR system and the target; and an optical beam splitter
disposed between the MOPA source of high power optical pulses and
the optical receiver and configured to direct the high power
optical pulses toward the target and direct the portion of returned
optical pulses toward the optical receiver.
9. The LIDAR system as defined in claim 8 wherein the MOPA source
of high power optical pulses further comprises a laser driver
circuit coupled to the input pulse source; a pump driver circuit
coupled to the pump source; and a control circuit coupled to the
laser driver circuit and the pump driver circuit for transmitting
the PRI change control signal to both the laser driver circuit and
the pump driver circuit.
10. The LIDAR system as defined in claim 9 wherein the pump driver
circuit modifies a pump pulse width in the presence of a PRI change
control signal to maintain an essentially constant accumulation of
amplified spontaneous emission between seed pulses, regardless of
changes in PRI.
11. The LIDAR system as defined in claim 8 wherein the MOPA source
of high power optical pulses further comprises a delay element for
controlling arrival times of the seed pulses and the pump pulses at
the section of doped optical fiber such that a pump pulse arrives
slightly before its associated seed pulse.
12. The LIDAR system as defined in claim 9 wherein the control
circuit is configured to adjust a width of the pump pulse as a
function of changes in seed pulse PRI to maintain constant gain in
the section of doped optical fiber.
13. The LIDAR system as defined in claim 8 wherein the MOPA source
of high power pulses further comprises a feedback path between the
output of the section of doped optical fiber and the pump driver
circuit, the feedback path used to adjust either one or both of a
drive current and a bias voltage applied to the pump source.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a master oscillator power
amplifier (MOPA) and, more particularly, to a fiber-based MOPA
configured to provide output pulses of constant energy regardless
of changes in the input signal pulse repetition rate.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A MOPA is known in the art as a specific type of optical
amplifier that comprises at least two separate elements, a laser
source (the "master oscillator") and an optical amplifier. At
times, the laser source is referred to as the "seed laser". As this
name implies, the laser source is used to "seed" an optical
amplifier with an input trigger signal that then generates a high
power output signal pulse. By virtue of using a separate power
amplification component, the various performance aspects of the
laser source itself are decoupled from the requirements of the
power generator. Indeed, the MOPA technology provides an efficient
power scaling architecture for pulsed laser applications such as
"light detection and ranging" (LIDAR). LIDAR is a technology that
can be used to measure distances to remote targets, with a laser
source used to generate optical pulses that are amplified and
directed toward a target which then scatters the light. The
separate power amplifier within the MOPA can thus be independently
controlled to provide the desired amount of signal gain for a given
LIDAR application. Some of the scattered light is received at a
detector co-located with the laser source and the distance to the
target is then determined based on one or more characteristics of
the returned light.
[0003] In many LIDAR applications, a relatively high power (e.g.,
on the order of hundreds of watts) optical pulse is required so
that the scattered, returned light has enough power to yield
accurate distance calculations. For some applications (such as, for
example, on-board automotive LIDAR systems), the MOPA is configured
to generate extremely narrow output pulses and thus requires the
use of nsec-scale seed laser pulses. The amplifier portion
typically comprises a fiber-based (rare-earth) amplifier (such as
an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, EDFA) that utilizes pump light at
an appropriate wavelength (e.g., 980 nm) to excite the rare-earth
ions in the fiber and thereby amplify the seed laser input signal
pulses to a power level sufficient for the required "high power"
output pulses. The seed laser is controlled to exhibit a
predetermined pulse repetition rate. Instead of defining the input
signal pulse train in terms of repetition rate, it is also common
to define the pulse train by its "pulse repetition interval" (PRI),
which defines the time interval between adjacent pulses (typically
measured from the rising edge of a first pulse to the rising edge
of a second pulse).
[0004] For applications such as LIDAR, there is a need to vary the
PRI over an extended period of time to account for constant changes
in the surrounding area being surveyed. Changing the PRI has been
found to create a transient change in output energy, which is
attributed to changes in the amount of amplified spontaneous
emission (ASE), radiative noise, produced as the PRI is changed.
Previously, this problem has been addressed by controlling the
drive current applied to the pump source so as to modify the amount
of pump energy available as a function of changes in PRI. This not
considered as a satisfactory solution in many applications, such as
MOPAs utilizing multiple PRIs that change rapidly as a function of
time, since the gain response of the amplifier may not be managed
as quickly as the change in PRI.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The needs remaining in the prior art are addressed by the
present invention, which relates to a master oscillator power
amplifier (MOPA) and, more particularly, to a fiber-based MOPA
configured to provide high power output pulses of constant energy
regardless of changes in the input signal pulse repetition rate
(PRI).
[0006] In accordance with the principles of the present invention,
a fiber-based MOPA is configured to utilize a pump source that
operates in pulse mode (rather than CW, as in the prior art), with
the arrival time of the pump pulses coordinated with the arrival
time of the input seed pulses. The use of a pulsed pump is
described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,167, entitled "System
and Method for Dynamic Range Extension and Stable Low Power
Operation of Optical Amplifiers Using Pump Laser Pulse Modulation",
issued on Sep. 19, 2006 to A. Gurusami et al. and herein
incorporated by reference. In addition to the utilization of a
pulsed pump as taught by Gurusami et al., the fiber-based MOPA of
the present invention also controls the width of the pump pulses
(as well as their arrival time), thus providing a mechanism for
controlling both the amount of pump energy injected into the
amplifier, as well as the overlap in time between the pump pulse
and the input pulse. As the PRI of the input signal pulse changes,
the timing of the pump pulses and their width are also changed so
that a "constant gain" environment is created within the amplifying
medium, providing an essentially constant energy output pulse,
regulating the amount of ASE generated during different PRIs.
[0007] One embodiment of the present invention takes the form of a
MOPA including a section of doped optical fiber for providing
signal gain to input light in the presence of a pump light beam
operating at a defined wavelength, an input pulse source for
generating seed pulses applied as a first input to the section of
doped optical fiber, the input pulse source designed to adjust a
pulse repetition interval (PRI) between adjacent pulses in response
to a "PRI change" control signal, an a pump source for generating
pump pulses applied as a second input to the section of doped
optical fiber. The presence of the seed and pump pulses within the
section of doped optical fiber amplifies the power of the seed
pulses and generates high-power optical output pulses. The pump
pulse source itself is designed to control pump pulse parameters
(including repetition rate and pulse width) to maintain an
essentially constant energy in the high-power optical output pulses
regardless of the seed pulse PRI.
[0008] Other and further aspects and principles of the present
invention will become apparent during the course of the following
discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Referring now to the drawings,
[0010] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of a prior art LIDAR system,
useful for understanding an exemplary implementation of the
constant pulse energy MOPA of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of four
different PRIs, utilized in sequence to control a pulsed laser in
an exemplary MOPA;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary constant energy MOPA formed
in accordance with the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a MOPA
formed in accordance with the present invention, illustrating a
look-up table used to correlate changes in PRI with pump pulse
adjustments to maintain constant gain;
[0014] FIG. 5 shows yet another embodiment of a MOPA formed in
accordance with the present invention, in this case including a
delay element to control the arrival times of seed pulses and pump
pulses at the fiber amplifier; and
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention
where the inventive MOPA further comprises a feedback path between
the fiber amplifier output and the pump source input.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Prior to describing the details of a MOPA formed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention, a typical
utilization of a MOPA as a component in a LIDAR system will be
reviewed, providing a context for understanding the details of the
principles of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates an
exemplary LIDAR system 1 used to measure the distance D between
system 1 and a target TAR. In the particular example of a
vehicle-based LIDAR system, the target may be a second vehicle
traveling down a road in front of the vehicle equipped with LIDAR
system 1. System 1 includes a light source 2 that generates
high-power light signal pulses 3, pulses 3 being of a predetermined
wavelength .lamda..sub.sig and separated in time by a predetermined
"pulse repetition interval", or simply PRI. Pulses 3 pass through a
beam splitter 4 and exit system 1. As pulses 3 reach target TAR,
some of the reflected/scattered light is directed back toward LIDAR
system 1 as returned pulses 5. Returned pulses 5 are thereafter
re-directed by beam splitter 4 into a receiver 6 that is configured
to perform a programmed analysis of the pulses to determine, for
example, the distance D between LIDAR system 1 and target TAR.
[0017] In many applications, there is a need to vary the PRI of
pulses 3 exiting source 1. For example, a "long" PRI (i.e., a
relatively long time between adjacent pulses) allows for long-range
sensing. In LIDAR applications, a long PRI allows the system to
"see" vehicles far ahead or behind and make appropriate decisions
in a timely fashion (particularly required in dynamic situations
where movement of targets occurs). The advantages of using a long
PRI come at the cost of reduced spatial resolution in the x-y plane
of the pulse (see FIG. 1). On the other hand, a "short" PRI (i.e.,
a relatively short time interval between adjacent input pulses)
provides a higher degree of spatial resolution. The improved
resolution comes at the cost of a shorter range (z-direction) over
which a sufficient pulse power is maintained. A short PRI is
useful, for example, in LIDAR applications where two target
vehicles on adjacent lanes are relatively close to each other, but
need to be identified as two separate vehicles. If the spatial
resolution was too low in this case, the vehicles may appear to be
a single large object. It is clear that for a vehicle-based LIDAR
system to perform effectively, it needs to be able to adjust the
PRI from time to time as traffic conditions change.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a timeline showing an exemplary implementation of
varying the PRI of a seed pulse applied to a fiber-based optical
amplifier. In this particular case, each PRI is sequentially
utilized over fixed periods of time .tau. (shown as .tau.=X00
.mu.sec in FIG. 2). It is to be noted that the periods of time
.tau. need not necessarily be fixed; the drawing of FIG. 2 showing
equal time periods is for the purposes of illustration only. Each
time interval represents a different seed pulse PRI, that is, the
PRI of the input pulses applied to the EDFA portion of an optical
amplifier. In the timeline of FIG. 2, the process begins with input
(seed) pulses defined to exhibit a first PRI, shown as PRI.sub.1 in
FIG. 2, where for the purposes of discussion it is presumed that
PRI.sub.1 is a relatively long time interval (e.g., an interval of
50 nsec) between seed pulses. This PRI is maintained for the
duration of a first period of time .tau..sub.1. Subsequently, the
PRI is shortened in following time period .tau..sub.2, depicted in
FIG. 2 as PRI.sub.2<PRI.sub.1. Shortening the PRI means that the
time interval between adjacent seed pulses is reduced. The
following third time period .tau..sub.3 is shown in this example as
using an extremely short PRI (PRI.sub.3<PRI.sub.2). The PRI
during a fourth time period .tau..sub.4 is shown as returning to
PRI.sub.1 (in this particular example). The illustration of various
PRIs in FIG. 2 is shown merely as an example of a sequence of
different PRIs that may be used control the time interval between
the arrival of adjacent input pulses at an EDFA.
[0019] The changes in PRI may be dictated by a system controller,
which may quickly change the PRI in applications such as LIDAR as
the physical environment changes (e.g., in a vehicle-based LIDAR,
the PRI may change as the traffic pattern changes). As mentioned
above, conventional MOPAs have been found to exhibit transients in
the output energy as the PRI changes. The transients are related to
the (unwanted) ASE generated within the EDFA as the seed pulses are
being amplified. In particular, it has been found that the total
ASE energy accumulated during a given time interval scales with the
PRI; as the time interval between input seed pulses increases
(i.e., PRI lengthens), the period of time during which ASE is
generated increases as well, thereby increasing the total ASE
generated during the time interval (which therefore gains the gain
created during this time interval). Conversely, if the PRI is
reduced in the length, a lesser amount of ASE is generated between
subsequent signal pulses (again changing the gain provided between
seed pulses). This variable ASE component thus results in unwanted
fluctuations in the gain generated within the EDFA, resulting in
creating transients in the energy of the amplifier output
pulses.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary MOPA 10 formed in
accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention to
provide transient-free output pulse energy, even under conditions
where the PRI of the input seed pulse is frequently changed. As
will be described below in association with FIGS. 3-6, controlling
the parameters of the pump source has been found to allow for
fluctuations in ASE to be compensated in a manner where the gain
within the EDFA remains constant, and the output pulses thus
exhibit a constant (transient-free) output energy level. Referring
in particular to FIG. 3, MOPA 10 is shown as comprising an input
laser source (seed source) 12 for generating extremely narrow seed
pulses (e.g., nsec-scale pulse width) that are then applied as an
input pulse signal to a fiber-based optical amplifier, here an
erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) 14. A pump source 16 is used to
supply the light that stimulates emission from the dopants in the
fiber core and amplifies any optical signal passing through the
fiber (here, the seed pulses are the signal propagating through the
fiber). In particular, the ultra-short (nsec) seed pulses trigger
the generation of high-power pulses as the output from EDFA 14
(i.e., a "pump-and-dump" process) by releasing a given amount of
optical energy stored in the doped fiber (the energy created by the
presence of the pump light in the doped fiber). It is to be
understood that other rare-earth dopants may be used in the
formation of a fiber-based optical amplifier, with erbium only one
such option. Thus, while the following description refers to "EDFA
14", it is to be understood as also including these various
alternative dopant sources.
[0021] A driver circuit 13 provides an input electrical signal to
seed laser 12, where the repetition rate of the current pulses from
driver circuit 13 defines the PRI of the seed pulses generated by
laser 12. Each pulse itself is relatively narrow (on the order of
nsec), with the PRI varying perhaps over the range of about 100
nsec to about 100 .mu.sec. In the illustration of FIG. 3,
solid-line paths are used to denote optical signal paths and
dotted-line paths are used to denote electrical signal paths.
[0022] In accordance with the principles of the present invention,
pump source 16 is configured to provide pulses of pump light as a
second input to EDFA 14 and controlled such that a single pump
pulse is introduced into EDFA 14 during the PRI. Pump source 16
typically includes a laser diode configured to emit radiation at a
wavelength known to provide optical amplification in the presence
of a rare-earth dopant. When erbium is used as the dopant, a laser
diode operating at a wavelength of 980 nm is typically used. In
contrast to many prior art EDFAs that utilize a continuous wave
(CW) pump, the constant output energy MOPA of the present invention
utilizes pulses of pump light. As mentioned above, it has been
found in the past that when the PRI is varied, a CW pump results in
generating variable amounts of ASE during the time interval between
adjacent input seed pulses as the PRI is changed (i.e., a
transition between PRIs), creating undesirable transients in the
energy of the high power output pulses.
[0023] In accordance with the principles of the present invention,
a pump driver circuit 18 is included in MOPA 10 and utilized to
apply a pulsed electrical drive current input to pump source 16
such that parameters of the pump pulse are controlled to create
transient-free output pulses. Driver circuit 18 is configured to
control both the pulse rate and pulse width of pulses of the pump
light from source 16. As discussed in detail below, controlling the
repetition rate of the pump pulses, as well as the width of the
pump pulse, allows for contribution to the gain from ASE to be
managed during PRI transitions such that the output pulse energy
remains essentially constant.
[0024] Also shown in FIG. 3 is a system controller 20 that is
utilized to control the operation of both laser driver 13 and pump
driver 18, ensuring that they each operate with the same PRI. Since
the amount of gain achieved within EDFA 14 is a function of the
amount of pump light within the doped fiber core, the pump pulses
are somewhat longer in duration than the input signal narrow pulse
(the pump pulse width on the order of about 25 nsec to a few
.mu.sec, for example, as compared to input seed pulses on the order
of tens of nsec). As will be discussed below, system controller 20
is further used to control the width of the pump pulses to equalize
the amount of ASE present between each output pulse, even as the
PRI changes. Said another way, pump pulses are controlled in both
repetition rate and width such that the gain generated in the EDFA
is held essentially constant, regardless of changes in the seed
pulse PRI.
[0025] The total output energy .epsilon..sub.T created by MOPA 10
in response to an input seed pulse can be expressed as follows:
.epsilon..sub.T=.epsilon..sub.S+.epsilon..sub.ASE,
where .epsilon..sub.S is the output energy associated with the
amplified, high power output pulse P and .epsilon..sub.ASE is the
(unwanted) ASE noise generated during the same PRI by MOPA 10. For
the purposes of the present invention, the total output energy
created during a given PRI time period can also be expressed
as:
T = C 1 * ( .intg. 0 t 1 i 1 d t + .intg. t 1 t 2 i 1 d t )
##EQU00001##
where t=0 is defined as the beginning (trigger) for the seed pulse
applied as an input to the EDFA, and t.sub.1 is a given time
duration of an input pump pulse necessary for generating the
desired energy of output pulse P for a given pump current value
i.sub.1. The interval t.sub.1 to t.sub.2 (defined as .DELTA.t) is
the time interval attributed to providing the energy to the
ASE.
[0026] Without any type of ASE compensation, a longer time interval
between seed pulses (a "slow PRI") allows for a rather large amount
of ASE to accumulate, when compared to the amount of ASE
accumulated during a shorter interval (a "fast PRI"). Transients in
terms of the energy within an output pulse thus occur as the PRI
changes between each of these time periods.
[0027] In accordance with the principles of the present invention,
assuming that the amount of ASE generated remains constant during
the operation of EDFA, the interval .DELTA.t needs to scale
linearly in accordance with changes in PRI. That is, when the PRI
doubles in length, the interval .DELTA.t needs to double as well in
order to maintain a "constant" accumulation of ASE energy (and
thereby maintain a constant gain) during that time interval.
Similarly, if the PRI is cut in half, .DELTA.t must also decrease
by half as much. The pulse width of the pump pulse, as regulated by
controller 20, thus changes by a predetermined amount in concert
with changes in PRI to maintain a constant energy (transient-free)
output pulse train.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present
invention, denoted MOPA 10A, which includes a look-up table 40 that
stores a set of a priori time intervals .DELTA.t associated with
providing specific adjustments in pump pulse width as a function of
PRI. In one implementation, look-up table 40 may be included as a
component within system controller 20. In this embodiment,
therefore, when system controller 20 receives instructions to
change to a new PRI, look-up table 40 is utilized to provide the
proper pump pulse adjustment .DELTA.t required to maintain a
constant gain within EDFA 14. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 4,
system controller 20 provides two inputs to pump driver 18, a first
input defining the PRI and a second input defining the pulse width
for that PRI value.
[0029] As mentioned above, the operation of laser driver circuit 13
and pump driver circuit 18 are preferably controlled such that seed
pulses and pump pulses both exhibit the same PRI. It is to be noted
that the seed pulses and pump pulses are not necessarily
synchronized. In fact, a preferred embodiment of the present
invention may be configured such that the pump pulse arrives at
EDFA 14 slightly in advance of the seed pulse. By controlling the
arrival times of the two pulses, the energy required to "fuel" the
seed pulse is delivered "just in time" for that seed pulse and not
spread across the entire pulse interval (which is the case for
conventional CW pumping in a MOPA).
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present
invention, shown as MOPA 10B, that is configured to time the
arrival of the seed pulses with respect to the pump pulses. Besides
the components discussed above in accordance with the embodiment of
FIG. 3, MOPA 10B of FIG. 3 includes a delay element 50 disposed
between controller 20 and laser driver circuit 13. Delay element 50
functions to shift the arrival of the seed pulses until slightly
after the arrival of the pump pulses, while maintaining the same
PRI for both pulse streams.
[0031] There are a variety of applications where a MOPA is
subjected to environmental changes (such as changes in ambient
temperature) that impact the performance of the amplifier. As the
components age, their performance may also be impacted. FIG. 6
illustrates an exemplary MOPA 10C formed in accordance with the
present invention that includes a feedback loop between the output
of EDFA 14 and pump driver 18. In operation, a portion of the
amplified, high power pulses P is coupled into a feedback optical
signal path and applied as an input to pump controller 60.
Controller 60 converts the received optical signal into an
electrical equivalent that is thereafter analyzed to determine if
any adjustments are necessary to pump source 16 (e.g., adjusting
the drive current applied to pump source 16, changing the bias
voltage applied pump source 16, etc.). In an alterative embodiment,
the electrical signal created by pump controller 60 may be applied
as an input to system controller 20 that is particularly configured
to analyze this feedback and provide the necessary adjustments to
the operating parameters of pump source 16 via pump driver 18.
[0032] Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the ability
to modify pump pulse characteristics allows for the shaded ASE
regions to be equalized, regardless of PRI, by adjusting the
operating parameters of the pump source. Various additional
modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the
art. All deviations from the specific teachings of this
specification that basically rely on the principles and their
equivalents through which the art has been advanced are properly
considered to be within the scope of the invention as described and
claimed.
* * * * *