Nd-doped polymer waveguide amplifiers

Nd3+-complex-doped polymer channel waveguide amplifiers with various lengths and Nd3+ concentrations are fabricated by a simple procedure. Internal net gain at 840–950 nm and 1064 nm is experimentally and theoretically investigated under continuous-wave excitation at 800 nm. Internal net gain in the range 865–930 nm is observed and a peak gain of 2.8 dB at 873 nm is obtained in a 1.9-cm-long waveguide with a Nd3+ concentration of 0.6x10e20 cm-3 at a launched pump power of 25 mW. The small-signal gain measured in a 1-cm-long sample with a Nd3+ concentration of 1.03x10e20 cm-3 is 2.0 dB/cm and 5.7 dB/cm at 873 nm and 1064 nm, respectively. By use of a rate-equation model, the internal net gain at these two wavelengths is calculated and the macroscopic parameter of energy-transfer upconversion as a function of Nd3+ concentration is derived. Ease of fabrication, compatibility with other materials, and low cost make such rare-earth-ion-doped polymer waveguide amplifiers suitable for providing gain in many integrated optical devices

Nd-doped polymer waveguide amplifiers at 850-930 nm

Nd-complex-doped, polymer channel waveguides were realized on thermally oxidized silicon wafers by a simple fabrication procedure. Broadband optical gain was demonstrated at 850-930 nm. Internal net gain up to 5.3 dB/cm was obtained at 850 nm, which is very promising for optical amplification in optical backplanes. With this result a route toward low-cost integrated waveguide amplifiers for optical interconnects has been opened

Low-cost and low-loss multimode waveguides of photodefinable epoxy

To satisfy the urgent need for low-cost multimode planar waveguides, we developed photodefined, multimode-fiber compatible waveguides with low-cost commercially available epoxies showing low losses from 550 to 1100 nm and around 1300nm

Bends in polymeric multimode waveguides

We developed photodefined, multimode-fiber compatible waveguides based on epoxies. The waveguides showed losses <0.06 dB/cm at 832 nm and 633 nm. Propagation and bending losses are calculated and experimentally verified. The minimum allow-able radius that can be connected to a straight waveguides are modeled and experimentally verified

Continuous-wave lasing in a solid polymer

Channel waveguides with a Nd-complex-doped fluorinated polymer guiding core were fabricated. For the first time, continuous-wave lasing was demonstrated in a solid polymer. Lasers near 1060 nm and 878 nm were operated for 2 hours