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A photonic integrated circuit-based erbium-doped amplifier.
Yang Liu1,2, Zheru Qiu1,2, Xinru Ji1,2
1Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 16, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed a silicon nitride photonic integrated circuit erbium amplifier with 145 milliwatts output power and 30 decibels gain. This breakthrough enables miniaturized, high-performance optical devices for communications and laser technology.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Optical Communications
Background:
- Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are crucial for optical communications and lasers.
- Current erbium-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) lack sufficient output power for practical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a high-power erbium-doped PIC amplifier.
- To overcome the power limitations of erbium ions in PICs for advanced applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ion implantation technique on ultralow-loss silicon nitride (Si3N4) PICs.
- Integrated erbium ions into the Si3N4 photonic platform.
Main Results:
- Achieved 145 milliwatts output power and >30 decibels small-signal gain.
- Surpassed state-of-the-art III-V semiconductor amplifiers.
- Increased soliton microcomb output power by 100 times.
Conclusions:
- The developed Si3N4 PIC erbium amplifier rivals commercial fiber amplifiers in performance.
- Enables miniaturization of fiber-based devices like femtosecond lasers.
- Meets power requirements for low-noise photonic microwave generation and WDM optical communications.
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