Technical Insight
Agere announces 280 mW DFB Raman pump laser (Fiber News)
Agere Systems has launched a 14xx nm DFB pump laser for use in Raman amplification systems that boost signal power in ultra high-capacity optical networking systems. The product has an operating power of 280 mW with a drive current comparable to high-power Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers. Agere claims this to be the most powerful 14xx nm DFB laser that is currently available. The laser supports Raman amplification in both co-pumping mode (where the pump s optical power is transmitted in the same direction as the communication signal) and counter-pumping mode (where pump power is sent against the signal). As part of the DFB design, the wavelength stabilization grating is incorporated onto the laser chip, removing the need for an external fiber Bragg grating. This configuration keeps the relative-intensity noise (RIN) low and reduces wavelength shift with package temperature changes. The combination of both characteristics is critical to enable co-pumping, which distributes gain over the first few kilometers of the transmission fiber. Agere is now sampling the 14xx high-power DFB lasers, with production quantities expected in the third quarter of 2001.
