Erbium-doped phosphate glass waveguide on silicon with 4.1 dB/cm gain at 1.535 μm

Abstract

Erbium-doped multicomponent phosphate glass waveguides were deposited by rf sputtering techniques. The Er concentration was 5.3×1020 cm−3. By pumping the waveguide at 980 nm with a power of ∼21 mW, a net optical gain of 4.1 dB at 1.535 μm was achieved. This high gain per unit length at low pump power could be achieved because the Er–Er cooperative upconversion interactions in this heavily Er-doped phosphate glass are very weak [the upconversion coefficient is (2.0±0.5)×10−18 cm3/s], presumably due to the homogeneous distribution of Er in the glass and due to the high optical mode confinement in the waveguide which leads to high pump power density at low pump power.

Erbium-Doped Waveguides Fabricated With Atomic Layer Deposition Method

“…In addition to the flexible integration, planar technology can offer cost efficiency through mass production when compared to the fiber-optical amplifiers. Several different techniques have been used to produce Er-doped waveguides [1]- [5].…”

Molecular homogeneity in erbium-doped sol-gel waveguide amplifiers

“…Thus, although erbium doped silica waveguide amplifiers have been reported, these have required relatively long waveguides [3]. Consequently, most reported EDWAs have employed other glass types, for example using deposited phosphate [4] and soda-lime [5] waveguides. There are, however, drawbacks to these glass types as well, such as low chemical and thermal stability, lack of suitability of refractive indices, or the need for deposition techniques, such as physical vapor deposition, with their own disadvantages, such as low deposition rate.…”

“…Ideally, the decay of erbium fluorescence in the homogeneous case is predicted by solving the rate equations (1) in the nonsteady state. When ytterbium is not present, this complex system could be approximated by (5) which can be solved analytically [37] and predicts an initial quadratic decay, due to the effects of erbium upconversion, followed by a linear decay, due to the lifetime of the meta-stable level. Unfortunately, for ytterbium co-doping, such an analytic solution cannot be found and one has to rely on numerical solution for the set of differential equations.…”

Waveguiding and photoluminescence in Er3+-doped Ta2O5 planar waveguides

“…Thus far, many erbium doped materials with optical gain have also been demonstrated [1][2][3][4]. In recent years, erbium-doped high index contrast materials have generated great interest [5][6][7][8], and will allow strong confinement of light, ultra compact photonic devices, and non-linear processes at moderate power levels.…”