Experimental analysis of system performance in an EDFA with pump driven in PWM mode

This paper presents the analysis of the system performance of an EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier) with pump laser operating in a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) mode, when compared to the typical linear operation mode (Continuous Wave - CW). Besides the fact that PWM driving mode significantly reduces the heat dissipation in the driver devices [1], it also avoids the use of big heat sinks and reduces the area occupied by the electronic circuit. We verified that it increases both the operation range and the efficiency of the laser in the low pump power region. To validate the EDFA performance in PWM mode, penalty parameters (such as bit error rates), gain control and transient suppression were analyzed in an experimental setup and compared to results obtained in CW mode. Measurements showed that the performance is not compromised when the PWM technique is implemented, suggesting that it can be used to reduce the high power consumption of the equipment.