Differences Between Pre-

Amplifier, Booster Amplifier and

In-line Amplifier
Transmission distance has always been a key factor during deployment of
fiber optic network. DWDM technologies, which are considered as the most
cost-effective ways to increase the network capacity over long transmission
distance, have been widely applied in our telecommunication network. To
further extend transmission distance of optical signals transmission from the
DWDM fiber optic transceivers, optical amplifiers are usually used in the
DWDM network. Different types of optical amplifiers have been invented to
meet the signal amplifying requirements at different situations. This post will
introduce the differences between the three most commonly used optical
amplifier: pre-amplifier, booster amplifier and in-line amplifier.

Basics of Optical Amplifier

In the past, if you want to extend the transmission distance of DWDM
network, optical regenerator station is required to be installed in the fiber link
every 80km to 100km. The regenerator station will electronically regenerate
the optical signals to overcome the power loss and ensure that the optical
signal can be detected at the receiver end. However, this requires a lot of
money and is not easy to upgrade the whole network.

With optical amplifier, things become much easier. The optical amplifier can
enlarge the optical signals without the regeneration. In addition, the network
upgrading is more cost-effective with optical amplifier. Each optical amplifier
has an important factor which is operation gain measured in dB. The
operation gain of the optical amplifier should be carefully calculated to
ensure the network performance. Pre-amplifier, booster amplifier and in-line
amplifier are used in different places in the fiber optic network. And they
support different operation gain according to the whole network requirement.

Pre-Amplifier, Booster Amplifier and In-line Amplifier

Pre-Amplifier is usually installed at the receiver end of the DWDM network to
amplify the optical signal to the required level to ensure that it can be
detected by the receiver. The following picture shows a typical diagram for a
duplex 10G DWDM network which can support 80km. A pre-amplifier is
installed at each receiving end of this network. There will be great power loss
after the optical signal goes through the 80km optical fiber. Then, pre-
amplifier installed at the receiver end is necessary. Generally, a pre-amplifier
should offer high gain to ensure that the optical signal is detectable.

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Booster Amplifier is installed in the transmitting end of the fiber optic
network, which can amplifier the amplify the optical signal launched into the
fiber link. It is usually used in DWDM network where the multiplexer
attenuates the signal channels. The following picture shows a 10G DWDM
network using booster amplifier (BA) at the transmitting end and pre-amplifier
(PA) at receiving end. Thus, this 10G DWDM network can support a
transmission distance much longer than the above mentioned one. Please
note, a DCM (Dispersion Compensation Module) is added in this network to
further ensure the transmission quality. A booster amplifier usually provides
low gain and high output power.

In-line Amplifier is easy to understand. The gain provided by the pre-amplifier

and booster amplifier might not be enough due to the optical loss caused by
long haul transmission. In-line amplifier is installed in the fiber optic link
every 80-100km as shown in the following picture. It has moderate gain and
has similar output power to those of booster amplifier.

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Conclusion
Optical amplifier can help to amplifier the optical power during long haul
transmission to ensure that the receiver can detect the optical signal without
error. Three amplifiers are commonly used in DWDM network. Booster
amplifier is used to amplifier optical power at the transmitting end and pre-
amplifier is placed at the receiver end. If the transmission distance is longer
than 150km or have great power loss during transmission, in-line amplifier is
suggested to be installed every 80km to 100k in the fiber optic link. The gain
of these amplifiers should be carefully calculated during practical use. Kindly
visit DWDM EDFA Amplifier page for more details.

Related Article: Introduction of Optical Amplifier

Related Article: Optical Amplifier – EDFA (Erbium-doped Fiber Amplifier) for

WDM System

This entry was posted in EDFA Amplifier, Network Solutions, Optical

Amplifier, WDM Optical Network and tagged booster amplifier, in-line
amplifier, Optical Amplifier, pre-amplifier on January 4, 2017 by Alice Gui.