Integrated erbium-doped waveguide amplifier on lithium niobate on insulator

The erbium-doped lithium niobate on insulator (Er:LNOI) has garnered significant attention as it combines outstanding gain property with integration capabilities, making it a promising solution for active devices on the versatile LNOI platform. This also paves a way for the development of appealing erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers. Here, we demonstrate an efficient integrated Er:LNOI micro-waveguide amplifier directly compatible with the lens fiber. In a 5.6-cm-long Er:LNOI micro-waveguide, we demonstrate a maximum internal net gain of 18.8 dB for 1531-nm signal light with 1460-nm pumping. Moreover, the maximum output signal power surpasses 20 mW, thereby confirming the practicality of the Er:LNOI micro-waveguide amplifier.