scope:

Scope and object

This part of IEC 61290-3 applies to all commercially available single channel optical amplifiers (OAs), including OAs using optically pumped fibres (OFAs) based on either rare-earth doped fibres or on the Raman effect, semiconductor optical amplifier modules (SOA modules) and planar optical waveguide amplifiers (POWAs). More specifically, it applies to single channel OAs placed before optical receivers, where there are no optical bandpass filtering elements placed between the OA and the receiver.

The object of this part of IEC 61290-3 is to establish uniform requirements for accurate and reliable measurement of the ratio of the signal output power to the total ASE power generated by the OA in the optical bandwidth of the receiver. This quantity is a measure of the spontaneous-spontaneous beat noise at the receiver, and is correlated to the spontaneousspontaneous noise factor of the OA, Fsp-sp, as defined in IEC 61290-3 and IEC 61291-1.

IEC 61290-3-1 describes a measurement method, using an optical spectrum analyzer, OSA, for the signal-spontaneous noise factor F_sig−sp but does not describe a method for measuring F_sp-sp. IEC 61290-3-2 describes a measurement method, using an electrical spectrum analyzer (ESA), for the total noise factor F_sp-sp + F_sig-sp. However, this method does not allow Fsp-sp to be measured separately, and therefore does not provide a means of directly quantifying the effect of spontaneous-spontaneous beat noise at the receiver. This part of IEC 61290-3 complements IEC 61290-3-1 and IEC 61290-3-2 in that it provides such a means.

Two measurement methods are provided for the ratio of the signal output power to the total ASE power. The first method uses an OSA, while the second method uses a bandpass filter and an optical power meter.