Erbium silicate compound optical waveguide amplifier and laser [Invited

Abstract

In the process of information technology, as Moore's law becomes more and more close to the limit, the consensus to combine microelectronics and optoelectronics to develop silicon-based large-scale optoelectronic integration technology is inevitable. As the most important part of silicon photonic devices, a silicon-based light source still attracted great effort. In the traditional research, erbium-doped materials have played an important role in silicon-based light sources. Recent studies demonstrated that the erbium silicate compound had a high net gain attributable to a high erbium concentration that has no insolubility problem. This paper focuses on the theory, designs, simulations, preparation methods, process and device optimizations of the erbium silicate compound optical waveguide amplifier and laser. The erbium silicate compound materials with large optical gains can serve as potential candidates for future silicon-based scale-integrated light-source applications.