Abstract

New applications of optical communications technologies, such as high-density WDM schemes require functional integrated optical circuits allowing operation in the whole range of the telecommunication window (1.2–1.7 µm). However, Er-doped silica still constitutes the backbone of current technologies due to the characteristics of the ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 emission transition of Er³⁺ ions at 1.5 µm. Yet, this need has generated a large effort to find materials able to satisfy these requirements. Fluorotellurite glasses are particularly attractive for the development of integrated gain media since they combine the good optical properties of fluorides (a broad transparency range, low optical losses, and low phonon energies) with the better chemical and thermal stability of tellurite glasses. Moreover, they show high rare-earth (RE) ion solubility and present a variety of sites for the RE-ions, all of which broaden the photoluminescence (PL) bandwidth and enhance the radiative emission [1,2]. However, the production of good quality thin film RE-doped fluorotellurite glasses still constitutes a challenge [3].

© 2013 IEEE