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US 6,650,816 B2Granted
Planar waveguide amplifier
AssigneeRedfern Integrated Optics Pty LTD
InventorsMichael Bazylenko, Geoffrey Lester Harding
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AssigneeRedfern Integrated Optics Pty LTD
InventorsMichael Bazylenko, Geoffrey Lester Harding
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides a planar optical waveguide amplifier for amplifying optical communications signals when optically pumped by radiation of a pumping wavelength, the amplifier comprising: an optical buffer layer formed on a substantially planar substrate; an optically-transmissive metal-oxide-based waveguide core formed on the buffer layer, the core comprising aluminium oxide and a gain medium; and an optical cladding layer formed over the core. Preferably, the composition of the core predominantly comprises aluminium oxide and the gain medium comprises erbium and/or ytterbium. The waveguide core can be formed by reactively dc sputtering aluminium. The invention has the advantage of allowing higher erbium doping concentrations than is possible for silica-based amplifiers.
A planar optical waveguide incorporating a material for producing optical amplification, wherein the material comprises aluminium oxide doped with a gain medium and is in the form of a thin film which has been formed by reactive DC sputter deposition.
A method of fabricating a planar waveguide amplifier for amplifying optical power when optically pumped, the method comprising:
A method of fabricating a planar waveguide core of an amplifier for amplifying optical power when optically pumped, the method comprising:
A method of fabricating a planar waveguide core in accordance with 28, wherein a sputter target used in the DC sputtering comprises a laminate structure consisting of a layer of gain medium disposed directly behind and in contact with a layer of aluminium, wherein the layer of aluminium includes openings through which the layer of gain medium is exposed during the deposition, and a ratio of sputtered aluminium to sputtered gain medium in the core layer is controlled by controlling the size and number of openings in the aluminium layer.
A planar optical waveguide amplifier for amplifying optical power when optically pumped, the amplifier comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.