Net optical gain at 1.53 mu m in an Er-doped Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ waveguide amplifier on silicon

Planar waveguide amplifiers are one of the key components of integrated optic devices. The integration of amplifiers together with other optical components enables many optical functions to work together on a single chip without optical losses. Erbium is used as an optically active element in waveguide amplifiers because of its intra-4f transition around 1.54 mu m, a standard telecommunications wavelength. Advantages of erbium-doped laser amplifiers are the linear gain response, temperature and polarization insensitivity, and low noise