Optical amplifiers for next generation WDM optical communication networks

Summary form only given, as follows. The optical amplifier is a key element in optical communication networks. Tremendous progress has been made recently in erbium doped fiber amplifiers, semiconductor optical amplifiers, Raman amplifiers, and other types of optical amplifiers. Due to the recent advance in wideband optical amplifiers, DWDM systems at terabit per second transmission rates have become a reality. The developments and their impact on WDM optical communication networks are reviewed.