Erbium-Doped Waveguide Amplifiers and Lasers in LiNbO3

Abstract

In the last years there has been a growing interest in rare-earth-doped, optically pumped waveguide amplifiers and lasers in LiNbO3 [1, 2]. In particular, erbium-doping is of major interest as it leads to optical amplification and lasing in the wavelength range 1.52 μm < λ < 1.62 μm, most important for fiber optical communication. LiNbO3 allows to fabricate high-quality channel guides in (locally, photolithographically defined) diffusion-doped surfaces of high erbium concentration. Moreover, LiNbO3 has excellent electro- and acousto-optical properties allowing the development of modelocked, Q-switched and tunable lasers. It is the aim of this contribution to review erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers and lasers in LiNbO3 with emphasis on the most recent developments and to discuss the future potential of these devices.