For light amplification for longer-haul fiber lines, as far as I can tell, the two major options are EDFA's and Raman amplifiers. What is the tradeoff between one type and the other? Are there areas where Raman amplifiers are clearly better? Is it just a matter of EDFA's being cheaper and Raman Amplifiers having greater gain ranges, or is there something more major that I am missing?
(For the uninitiated, EDFA = erbium doped fiber amplifier. It acts basically as a sort of a lasing chamber without the mirrors, so it amplifies laser signals as they go through the (usually single mode) fiber. This boosts the maximum distance of a fiber run.)
Best Answer
I think another reason someone might use one over the other is just cost.
EDFA is usually cheaper from what I've seen, in comparison to RAMAN.
From MRV website: "They [RAMAN] also have a better optical signal-to-noise ratio than EDFA amplifiers." http://www.mrv.com/product/MRV-FD-OARM/