1.3 μm light amplification in dye-doped hybrid sol-gel channel waveguides

Abstract

We report on light amplification of dye-doped hybrid channel waveguides in the near-infrared region. Films have been grown both on glass and silicon substrates by a spin-coating process that uses a hybrid organic/inorganic sol-gel route. Doped films have been obtained by incorporation of an organic dye (IR1051) emitting in the 1.1–1.3 μm spectral region. Active channel waveguides have been synthesized by photolitographic and ion-milling techniques. An optical gain of about 11 cm−1 was estimated by amplified spontaneous emission measurements. An estimation of the optical losses of the hybrid waveguides is also reported.