Abstract
The spectroscopic properties and laser operation of thulium-doped tantalum pentoxide (Tm:Ta2O5) waveguides are reported in this paper. Fluorescence ranging from 1600 nm to 2200 nm, corresponding to the 3F4 → 3H6 transition was observed from 3 wt% Tm:Ta2O5 waveguides pumped at a wavelength of 795 nm. Measurements of excited-state lifetime, the emission and absorption spectra, with subsequent calculation of the cross-sections for the deposited films, reveal its potential as a gain medium. Laser operation at a wavelength of 1865 nm was obtained with feedback from the polished end faces alone, demonstrating gain of >9 dB/cm.
Highlights
Optical sources and amplifiers operating at wavelengths near 2 μm are important for applications from remote sensing and LIDAR [1], medical diagnostics and surgical systems [2], to free-space and optical fiber communications [3]
This paper presents measurements of the spectroscopic properties of thulium-doped tantalum pentoxide (Tm:Ta2O5) waveguides, including the 3F4 excited-state lifetime, emission and absorption cross-sections around 2 μm, and the first demonstration of a Tm:Ta2O5 waveguide laser, compatible for integration with silicon photonics
The absorption cross-section for the 3H6 → 3H4 transition near 790 nm in a silica fiber, reported in [33], is similar to the absorption cross section we report here
Summary
Optical sources and amplifiers operating at wavelengths near 2 μm are important for applications from remote sensing and LIDAR [1], medical diagnostics and surgical systems [2], to free-space and optical fiber communications [3]. This paper presents measurements of the spectroscopic properties of thulium-doped tantalum pentoxide (Tm:Ta2O5) waveguides, including the 3F4 excited-state lifetime, emission and absorption cross-sections around 2 μm, and the first demonstration of a Tm:Ta2O5 waveguide laser, compatible for integration with silicon photonics. 2. Waveguide design and fabrication Tm-doped tantalum pentoxide waveguides on oxidized silicon wafers were designed to enable spectroscopic measurements of absorption and emission spectra, fluorescence lifetime, and conduct studies of laser operation. The emission cross-section for the 3F4 → 3H6 transition is shown in Fig. 6b and was calculated from the fluorescence spectrum and the measured lifetime using the FüchtbauerLadenburg (FL) method [27], scaled by the quantum efficiency (QE). This preliminary demonstration shows that a gain of at least 9 dB/cm is achievable in the waveguide films produced with our nominally 3 wt% Tm2O3 doped Ta2O5 target
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