Abstract

Optical planar waveguides doped with rare-earth ions offer numerous attractive features for use as amplifiers or lasers in optical communications. Erbium is of particular interest because of its intra-4f transition with a wavelength emission around 1.54µm, coinciding with the low-loss window of standard optical telecommunications silica fiber. In this paper, we report optical properties (refractive index, extinction coefficient, losses on guided propagation) and fluorescence of Er ions implanted into tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅) planar waveguides made by Ion Plating.

© 1995 Optical Society of America