Doped optical waveguide amplifier
AssigneeUniversity of Southhamton
InventorsBryce Neilson Samson, Daniel William Hewak, Richard Ian Laming, David Neil Payne
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Abstract
The core of a low phonon energy glass optical fibre is doped with trivalent Dysprosium ions for application as an efficient optical fibre amplifier operating around 1.3 .mu.m. The device utilises the transition .sup.6 H.sub.9/2 -.sup.6 F.sub.11/2 to .sup.6 H.sub.15/2. The low phonon energy (high quantum efficiency) glasses include mixed halides, chalcogenides and chalcohalides. Improvements in efficiency can be achieved by co-doping of the fibre core with Eu.sup.3+ and/or Tb.sup.3+ ions.
Claims17
An optical waveguide amplifier comprising a glass optical waveguide doped with dysprosium ions, the highest frequency phonon mode of the glass having an energy of less than 450 cm.sup.-1, in which the glass waveguide is doped with at least one rare earth co-dopant to decrease the lifetime of the .sup.6 H.sub.11/2 and/or .sup.6 H.sub.13/2 energy levels of the dysprosium ion by transfer of energy from the .sup.6 H.sub.11/2 and/or .sup.6 H.sub.13/2 energy levels of the dysprosium ions to ions of the rare earth co-dopant.
A method of manufacture of an optical waveguide amplifier, the method comprising the steps of:
- doping a glass optical waveguide with dysprosium ions, the highest frequency phonon mode of the glass having an energy of less than 450 cm.sup.-1 ;
- and
- doping the glass waveguide with at least one rare earth co-dopant to decrease the lifetime of the .sup.6 H.sub.11/2 and/or .sup.6 H.sub.13/2 energy levels of the dysprosium ion by transfer of energy from the .sup.6 H.sub.11/2 and or .sup.6 H.sub.13/2 energy levels of the dysprosium ions to ions of the rare earth co-dopant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.