Active glass waveguide amplifier on GaAs by UV-pulsed laser deposition and femtosecond laser inscription

Abstract

Integration of glass thin films with semiconductors promises new opportunities for novel photonic and optoelectronic devices due to the contribution of several synergetic properties. In this paper, we report the demonstration of the integration of Er3+-ion doped phosphate modified tellurite (PT) glass thin film waveguides with III-V semiconductor substrates. The thin films were deposited using the technique of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and exhibit a refractive index which is very close to that of the bulk glass target used in the deposition process. Optical confinement and propagation loss measurements for the thin films deposited on GaAs substrates, with different thicknesses of silica buffer layers, is presented and shows good agreement with finite element models. Channel waveguide patterning was carried out using ultra-fast laser micromachining, and a range of optical characterization measurements are reported on confirming the high quality of the glass thin films and waveguides formed on silica and GaAs with silica buffer layers.