Plasma synthesis of rare earth doped integrated optical waveguides Page: 4 of 9
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LBL-37267
PLASMA SYNTHESIS OF RARE EARTH DOPED UC-404
INTEGRATED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES
S. Raoux@*, S. Anders*, K. M. Yu*, I. C. Ivanov*, and I. G. Brown*.
*Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, MS 53, Berkeley CA 94720
*Charles Evans & Associates, 301 Chesapeake Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063.
@On leave from DGA/DRET, 4 Rue de la porte-d'Issy, F75015 PARIS.
ABSTRACT
We describe a novel means for the production of optically active planar waveguides. The
technique makes use of a low energy plasma deposition. Cathodic-arc-produced metal plasmas
are used for the metallic components of the films and gases are added to form compound films.
Here we discuss the synthesis of Al2-xEr,03 thin films. The erbium concentration (x) can vary
from 0 to 100% and the thickness of the film can be from Angstroms to microns. In such
material, at high active center concentration (x=l% to 20%), erbium ions give rise to room
temperature 1.53sm emission which has minimum loss in silica-based optical fibers. With this
technique, multilayer integrated planar waveguide structures can be grown, such as
Al203/Al2-xErx03/A1203/Si, for example.
INTRODUCTION
The monolithic integration of electronic and photonic devices onto a single chip has
become the focus of considerable research effort worldwide in recent years 1. Advances in these
optoelectronic integrated circuits, or OEICs, are driven by the needs of second-generation
photonic systems including optical interconnects, optical computing, signal processing and
communications. This new technology has the potential to boost considerably the sophistication
and performance of existing and proposed advanced photonic systems. Future components will
be capable of sending information at data rates greater than 1 Gb/sec, with highly parallel
architecture and low power consumption 2.
Key research and development concerns include both materials design and processing
issues. Optoelectronic integrated circuits combine devices that implement optical functions in a
guided wave structure with electronic semiconductor devices formed on the same substrate. The
electronics of such components is now well mastered, and the next challenge is the development
of the optical functions, which are based either on semiconductor materials (SC quantum wells)
or on dielectric waveguide structures. Our interest is in the latter.
Dielectric waveguide structures are based on multilayer thin film technology. A
sandwich is formed in which the central guiding film is of higher refractive index than the
surrounding material. Planar waveguides guide light in the vertical direction but provide no
lateral confinement. For compatibility with optical fibers and for efficient modulation, strip
waveguides are essential and have been fabricated by sputtering, epitaxial layers, ion
implantation, ion exchange, and diffusion techniques combined with standard lithographic
technology 3-9. Typical thickness of the films is 1 gm. The required geometry of the waveguide
depends essentially on the guided wavelength and the difference of refractive indices in the
guiding region and the cladding layer material10,11. Such optical waveguides are the basic
structures leading to advanced OptoElectronic Integrated Circuits or OEICs.
By doping the guiding region with optically active impurities, integrated optical
amplifiers and lasers can be fabricated. The principle is the same as for optical fiber amplifiers
and lasers. However, multilayer-thin-film technologies allow the formation of waveguides with
higher refractive index differences between the guiding region and the surrounding, and the
optimum concentration of active optical centers can also be two orders of magnitude greater
when incorporated in dielectric waveguide materials12. Consequently the typical size of an1
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Raoux, S.; Anders, S.; Yu, K.M.; Brown, I.G. & Ivanov, I.C. Plasma synthesis of rare earth doped integrated optical waveguides, article, March 1, 1995; California. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc626677/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.