Optimized design and performance of a shared pump single clad 2 µm TDFA

We report the design, experimental performance, and simulation of a single stage, co- and counter-pumped Tm-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) in the 2 μm signal wavelength band with an optimized 1567 nm shared pump source. We investigate the dependence of output power, gain, and efficiency on pump coupling ratio and signal wavelength. Small signal gains of >50 dB, an output power of 2 W, and small signal noise figures of <3.5 dB are demonstrated. Simulations of TDFA performance agree well with the experimental data. We also discuss performance tradeoffs with respect to amplifier topology for this simple and efficient TDFA.