This report presents an investigation of composite fiber Raman amplifiers (i.e., a distributed fiber Raman amplifier followed by a discrete fiber Raman amplifier) with incoherent pumping, compared to conventional coherent pumping. It is shown that a flatter gain, noise figure and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) over 100-nm bandwidth can be achieved simultaneously by using two counter-incoherent pumps, compared to using six counter-coherent pumps. Moreover, it is found that a further improvement in gain, noise figure and OSNR flatness can be obtained in composite fiber Raman amplifiers with bi-directional incoherent pumping. The flatness of both gain and OSNR with a ripple of 1 dB is predicted by using one co- incoherent pump and one counter- incoherent pump.

© 2005 Optical Society of America

1. L. Mollenauer, J. Gordon, and M. Islam, �??Soliton propagation in long fibers with periodically compensated loss,�?? IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 22, 157-173 (1986). [CrossRef]
2. M. Islam, �??Raman amplifiers for telecommunications,�?? IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 8, 548-559 (2002). [CrossRef]
3. J. Bromage, �??Raman amplification for fiber communication systems,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 22, 79-93(2004). [CrossRef]
4. V. Perlin, G. Winful, �??Optimal design of flat gain wide band fiber Raman amplifiers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 20, 250-254 (2002). [CrossRef]
5. V. Perlin, and G. Winful, �??On distributed Raman amplification for ultrabroad-band long-haul WDM systems,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 20, 409-416 (2002). [CrossRef]
6. X. Liu, and B. Lee, �??Optimal design for ultra-broad band amplifiers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 3446-3455 (2003). [CrossRef]
7. T. Kung, C. Chang, J. Dung, and S. Chi, �??Four-wave mixing between pump and signal in a distributed Raman amplifier,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 1164-1170 (2003). [CrossRef]
8. J. Bouteiller, L. Leng, and C. Headley, �??Pump�??pump four-wave mixing in distributed Raman amplified systems,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 22, 723-732 (2004). [CrossRef]
9. W. Wong, C. Chen, M. Ho, and H. Lee, �??Phase-matched four-wave mixing between pumps and signals in a co-pumped Raman amplifier,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 15, 209-211 (2003). [CrossRef]
10. X. Zhou, M. Birk, and S. Woodward, �??Pump-noise induced FWM effect and its reduction in a distributed Raman fiber amplifiers,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 14, 1686-1688 (2002). [CrossRef]
11. F. Pasquale and F. Meli, �??New Raman pump module for reducing pump�??signal four-wave-mixing interaction in co-pumped distributed Raman amplifiers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 22, 1742-1748 (2003). [CrossRef]
12. S. Sugliani, G. Sacchi, G. Bolognini, S. Faralli, and F. Pasquale, �??Effective suppression of penalties induced by parametric nonlinear interaction in distributed Raman amplifiers based on NZ-DS fibers,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 16, 81-83 (2004). [CrossRef]
13. G. Bolognini, S. Sugliani, and F. Pasquale, �??Double Rayleigh scattering noise in Raman amplifiers using pump time-division-multiplexing schemes,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 16, 1286-1288 (2004). [CrossRef]
14. J. Bromage, P. Winzer, L. Nelson, M. Mermelstein, and C. Headley, �??Amplified spontaneous emission in pulse-pumped Raman amplifiers,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 15, 667-669 (2003). [CrossRef]
15. D. Vakhshoori, M. Azimi, P. Chen, B. Han, M. Jiang, L. Knopp, C. Lu, Y. Shen, G. Rodes, S. Vote, P. Wang, and X. Zhu, �??Raman amplification using high-power incoherent semiconductor pump sources,�?? OFC 2003, Paper PD47.
16. X. Zhou, and M. Birk, �??New design method for a WDM system employing broad-band Raman amplification,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 16, 912-914 (2004). [CrossRef]
17. S. Kado, Y. Emori, and S. Namiki, �??Gain and noise tilt control in multi-wavelength bi-directionally pumped Raman amplifier,�?? OFC 2002, pp.62-63, Paper TuJ4.
18. I. Mandelbaum, and M. Bolshtyansky, �??Raman amplifier model in single-mode optical fiber,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 15, 1704-1706 (2003). [CrossRef]
19. X. Liu, and B. Lee, �??A fast and stable method for Raman amplifier propagation equations,�?? Opt. Express 11, 2163- 2176 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
20. K. Rottwitt, A. Stentz, L. Leng, M. Lines, and H. Smith, �??Scaling of the Raman gain coefficient: applications to Germanosilicate fibers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 1652-1662 (2003). [CrossRef]
21. T. Zhang, X. Zhang, and G. Zhang, �??Distributed fiber Raman amplifiers with incoherent pumping,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 17, 1175-1177 (2005). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

• L. Mollenauer, J. Gordon, and M. Islam, �??Soliton propagation in long fibers with periodically compensated loss,�?? IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 22, 157-173 (1986). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron.

• M. Islam, �??Raman amplifiers for telecommunications,�?? IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 8, 548-559 (2002). [CrossRef]

IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett.

• S. Sugliani, G. Sacchi, G. Bolognini, S. Faralli, and F. Pasquale, �??Effective suppression of penalties induced by parametric nonlinear interaction in distributed Raman amplifiers based on NZ-DS fibers,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 16, 81-83 (2004). [CrossRef]
• G. Bolognini, S. Sugliani, and F. Pasquale, �??Double Rayleigh scattering noise in Raman amplifiers using pump time-division-multiplexing schemes,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 16, 1286-1288 (2004). [CrossRef]
• J. Bromage, P. Winzer, L. Nelson, M. Mermelstein, and C. Headley, �??Amplified spontaneous emission in pulse-pumped Raman amplifiers,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 15, 667-669 (2003). [CrossRef]
• W. Wong, C. Chen, M. Ho, and H. Lee, �??Phase-matched four-wave mixing between pumps and signals in a co-pumped Raman amplifier,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 15, 209-211 (2003). [CrossRef]
• X. Zhou, M. Birk, and S. Woodward, �??Pump-noise induced FWM effect and its reduction in a distributed Raman fiber amplifiers,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 14, 1686-1688 (2002). [CrossRef]
• X. Zhou, and M. Birk, �??New design method for a WDM system employing broad-band Raman amplification,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 16, 912-914 (2004). [CrossRef]
• I. Mandelbaum, and M. Bolshtyansky, �??Raman amplifier model in single-mode optical fiber,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 15, 1704-1706 (2003). [CrossRef]
• T. Zhang, X. Zhang, and G. Zhang, �??Distributed fiber Raman amplifiers with incoherent pumping,�?? IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett. 17, 1175-1177 (2005). [CrossRef]

J. Lightwave Technol.

• K. Rottwitt, A. Stentz, L. Leng, M. Lines, and H. Smith, �??Scaling of the Raman gain coefficient: applications to Germanosilicate fibers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 1652-1662 (2003). [CrossRef]
• F. Pasquale and F. Meli, �??New Raman pump module for reducing pump�??signal four-wave-mixing interaction in co-pumped distributed Raman amplifiers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 22, 1742-1748 (2003). [CrossRef]
• J. Bromage, �??Raman amplification for fiber communication systems,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 22, 79-93(2004). [CrossRef]
• V. Perlin, G. Winful, �??Optimal design of flat gain wide band fiber Raman amplifiers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 20, 250-254 (2002). [CrossRef]
• V. Perlin, and G. Winful, �??On distributed Raman amplification for ultrabroad-band long-haul WDM systems,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 20, 409-416 (2002). [CrossRef]
• X. Liu, and B. Lee, �??Optimal design for ultra-broad band amplifiers,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 3446-3455 (2003). [CrossRef]
• T. Kung, C. Chang, J. Dung, and S. Chi, �??Four-wave mixing between pump and signal in a distributed Raman amplifier,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 1164-1170 (2003). [CrossRef]
• J. Bouteiller, L. Leng, and C. Headley, �??Pump�??pump four-wave mixing in distributed Raman amplified systems,�?? J. Lightwave Technol. 22, 723-732 (2004). [CrossRef]

OFC 2002

• S. Kado, Y. Emori, and S. Namiki, �??Gain and noise tilt control in multi-wavelength bi-directionally pumped Raman amplifier,�?? OFC 2002, pp.62-63, Paper TuJ4.

OFC 2003

• D. Vakhshoori, M. Azimi, P. Chen, B. Han, M. Jiang, L. Knopp, C. Lu, Y. Shen, G. Rodes, S. Vote, P. Wang, and X. Zhu, �??Raman amplification using high-power incoherent semiconductor pump sources,�?? OFC 2003, Paper PD47.

Opt. Express

• X. Liu, and B. Lee, �??A fast and stable method for Raman amplifier propagation equations,�?? Opt. Express 11, 2163- 2176 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

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