EDFA Simulink Model for Analyzing Gain

Spectrum and ASE

by Stephen Pinter
Presentation Overview

• Project objectives

• Gain characteristics of EDFA

• wavelength dependant gain

• Gain flattening
• non-uniform gain over the spectrum
• implications
Project Objectives
• Determine the optimum length for simulations
• ASE not considered – optimum length is shorter when ASE taken
into account
• Expand the current EDFA Simulink model to show the gain
over the entire 1550nm window
• important to know gain in range 1530nm – 1560nm
• Consider gain flattening, and
• Integrate forward ASE into the EDFA model

• Why Simulink?
• Why use Simulink when an EDFA can be simulated
using simulation tools such as OASIX or PTDS?
• OASIX or PTDS
• static model
• input pump power is a static input internal to the EDFA
module
• Simulink
• dynamic model
• input pump power as well as other EDFA parameters can be
easily modified
EDFA Gain characteristics
• Significant equations governing EDFA dynamics
• Output pump and signal power:
Pp ( L, t )  Pp (0, t )e BpN 2 Cp
Ps ( L, t )  Ps (0, t )e BsN 2 Cs
• Quantities B and C characterize the physical EDFA and are
given by:
 
[ B P , BS ]  , [C P , C S ]  L
A
• To handle multiple signal wavelengths, Bs and Cs as well as the
input signal must be multidimensional
• Why?
  and  are wavelength
dependant as shown in the
figure
  and  are the absorption
and emission coefficients,
respectively
• so, the quantities B and C
are wavelength dependant
• this relationship is how the
wavelength dependency of
the gain arises
• EDFA gain  ratio between
the absorption and emission
at a particular wavelength is
critical in determining the
gain
Note on Aspects of Simulation
• when performing simulations on the EDFA model it is
important to simulate all the wavelengths simultaneously
instead of one at a time
• EDFAs work in the nonlinear regime, so properties like linear
superposition don’t hold true
• when there are several channels in an EDFA there is an effect
called gain stealing
• the energy that each of the channels takes from the pump
depends on the details of the emission and absorption spectra

• before simulating the gain, the optimum length was

determined
Optimum Length

• gain varies significantly

over wavelength
• two distinct peaks
• 12m and 30m
• first peak
• 1520-1536nm
• choose Lopt = 12m
Simulink Models
• implementation of the
ordinary nonlinear
differential equation
used for studying
EDFA gain dynamics
• rate equation

• input/output
EDFA Gain

• significant gain
variation is visible
• about 11dB gain
difference in the range
1530nm-1560nm

• How do we flatten the

gain?
Gain Flattening
• using the equations shown earlier, I derived an equation
relating the pump gain (GP) to the signal gain (GS)
• the resultant equation is:
 BS C P  BP 

ln(G P )   ln(GS )  C S   
BP B 
  S 

• BP and CP are fixed, and BS and CS vary with wavelength

• now GS can be fixed and GP for gain flatness can be
obtained
• for a GS of 30dB, GP
should follow the curve
shown in the figure
• theoretical view of
what the pump should
be
• practically, in order to
get a different power at
each wavelength might
be difficult
• something to be
further analyzed
Thank You