Patent ID: 6201636
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: H01S,H04B

Abstract:
An optical amplifier having a temperature compensating function, in which said optical amplifier includes means for amplifying an optical signal to be propagated through an optical transmission line, and said means for amplifying an optical signal has a gain wavelength characteristic having a temperature dependency, said optical amplifier comprising:means for controlling gain having a plurality of grating portions provided within said means for amplifying an optical signal or on said optical transmission line connected to said means for amplifying an optical signal; wherein said plurality of grating portions have mutually different loss wavelength characteristics, and said mutually different loss wavelength characteristics have mutually different temperature dependencies; and wherein said loss wavelength characteristics of said grating portions and said temperature dependencies of said loss wavelength characteristics are set corresponding to the gain wavelength characteristic of said means for amplifying an optical signal and the temperature dependency of said gain wavelength characteristic of said means for amplifying an optical signal, respectively;means for controlling gain to be constant, which monitors the powers of input light and output light of said means for amplifying an optical signal, and controls operating conditions so that the gain in said means for amplifying an optical signal is constant;means for variably attenuating an optical signal which variably attenuates an optical signal propagated through said optical transmission line; andmeans for controlling output power to be constant, which monitors the power of output light of said means for amplifying an optical signal, and controls an amount of light attenuation of said means for variably attenuating an optical signal so that the power of said output light is constant.