Er-doped photonic crystal fibre characterization method based on McCumber theory

In this paper, we have developed a characterization method that is not based on the cutback technique and allows the determination of the absorption and emission cross sections and also the splices losses. We assume that absorption and emission cross sections are related by McCumbers´s equation. We have used this method to characterize an Er-doped-silica PCF fabricated at the University of Valencia (Spain) with an Er concentration of 1019 ions/cm3. A piece (12.4 m long) of fibre was spliced to the experimental setup and pumped with a diode laser emitting at 980 nm. It shows measured values of pump power attenuation versus input pump power, gain versus input pump power (signal wavelength of 1532 nm) and gain versus wavelength (pump power of 105 mW). The corresponding numerical values calculated from the parameters determined with our characterization technique are also shown.