Design and optimization of tightly packed erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers

The design of tightly packed spiral erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers (EDWAs) under two constrains is considered. First is the minimization of the area required to obtain a predetermined gain; second is the maximization of gain obtained from an available area. The design is based on a numerical model specially developed for EDWAs containing bends in the waveguide configuration. The model uses rate-propagation equations and takes into account bend-induced losses. It is shown that high gain from small area is feasible, and the optimal design parameters are obtained.