C. Strohhofer et A. Polman, Relationship between gain and Yb3+ concentration in Er3+-Yb3+ doped waveguide amplifiers, J APPL PHYS, 90(9), 2001, pp. 4314-4320
We have used a rate equation propagation model of an Er3+/Yb3+ doped Al2O3
waveguide amplifier with copropagating pump at 980 nm to investigate the de
pendence of gain on Yb3+ concentration. The model includes excited state ab
sorption and energy transfer upconversion processes within the Er3+ as well
as the relevant energy transfer processes between Yb3+ and Er3+. The resul
ts of the calculations indicate a close relationship of the parameters gain
, launched pump power, waveguide length, and Yb3+ concentration. Codoping w
ith a well-chosen Yb3+ concentration is shown to increase the gain around 1
530 nm for all combinations of these parameters. The gain is improved most
by Yb3+ codoping at pump powers around the amplifier threshold. At high pum
p powers the increase in gain of an Er3+/Yb3+ doped waveguide is insignific
ant compared to that of its Er3+ doped counterpart. Furthermore for each la
unched pump power, a nonzero Yb3+ concentration can be determined, which ma
ximizes the gain. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.