Patent ID: 6462864
Filing Date: 2002-10-08
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
A multi-fiber ribbon-coupled optical amplifier comprising:a multi-channel optical waveguide structure having a plurality of optical waveguide amplifier channels arranged to be optically coupled with respective ones of a plurality of optical fibers of a multi-fiber ribbon over which respective light beam signals are transportable; and a multi-channel optical interface configured to couple optical energy supplied by a plurality of optical pumping sources into respective ones of said plurality of optical waveguide amplifier channels of said multi-channel optical amplifier from a direction that is generally spatially transverse to said optical waveguide amplifier channels, so as to provide optical energy amplification of said respective light beam signals traveling through said optical waveguide amplifier channels of said multi-channel optical waveguide structure; and wherein said multi-channel optical waveguide structure comprises a first substrate in which are formed a plurality of spatially adjacent signal transport regions that are doped with material that is effective to absorb optical pumping energy coupled thereto, and an abutting second substrate in which are formed a plurality of spatially adjacent pseudo-cladding pumping energy receiving regions, that are exclusive of said material doped that is effective to absorb optical pumping energy with which said optical signal transport regions are doped, and which respectively adjoin said signal transport regions, and wherein a surface of a respective one of said pseudo-cladding pumping energy receiving regions spaced apart from an adjoining signal transport region is configured to receive optical energy supplied by one or more of said optical pumping sources, whereby said optical energy is transferred into said pseudo-cladding region and transferred therefrom and absorbed by its adjoining signal transport region, so as to provide optical energy amplification of a respective light beam signal traveling therethrough.