The modal gain equalization (MGE) of few-mode fiber amplifiers (FMFAs) ensures the stability of signal transmission. MGE mainly relies on the multi-step refractive index (RI) and doping profile of few-mode erbium-doped fibers (FM-EDFs). However, complex RI and doping profiles lead to uncontrollable residual stress variations in fiber fabrication. Variable residual stress apparently affects MGE due to its impacts on the RI. So, this paper focuses on the residual stress effects on MGE. The residual stress distributions of passive and active FMFs were measured using a self-constructed residual stress test configuration. As the erbium doping concentration increased, the residual stress of the fiber core decreased, and the residual stress of the active fibers was two orders of magnitude lower than that of the passive fiber. Compared with the passive FMF and the FM-EDFs, the residual stress of the fiber core completely transformed from tensile stress to compressive stress. This transformation led to an obvious smooth RI curve variation. The measurement values were analyzed with FMFA theory, and the results show that the differential modal gain of the FMFA increased from 0.96 to 1.67 dB as the residual stress decreased from 4.86 to 0.01 MPa.
Keywords: few-mode fiber amplifier; fiber residual stress; modal gain equalization.