ASE and SLD – which to choose?
The main differences are in: (1) output power, (2), spectral width, (3) wavelength flexibility, and (4) degree of polarization (DOP). In general, output power of fiber ASE sources is bigger than fiber-coupled SLDs, but SLD has a wider spectral width and wavelength flexibility. One critical advantage of fiber ASE sources is that the degree of polarization is inherently small (<5%), so fiber ASE sources are recommended if you need a low DOP value for your application.
