Optical amplification in Er3+‐doped P2O5–SiO2 planar waveguides

The small signal gain of Er3+‐doped P2O5–SiO2 planar waveguides is described with a homogeneous upconversion model. The homogeneous upconversion process accurately describes the absorption saturation at a wavelength of 0.98 μm. Interpretation of the absorption saturation provides homogeneous upconversion coefficients of 4×10−15 cm3 s−1 for a 0.54 wt % Er3+‐doped 14.6 wt % P2O5 codoped silica waveguide and 6×10−18 cm3 s−1 for a 0.46 wt % Er3+‐doped 21.6 wt % P2O5 codoped silica waveguide. The upconversion process occurs in the Er3+ ion rich phase in the P2O5–SiO2 core glass. A calculation that includes the homogeneous upconversion process proves that the gain can be enhanced by codoping the planar waveguide with P2O5. A gain of 20 dB is calculated with an Er3+ ion concentration of 0.4–0.7 wt % and a waveguide length of 40 cm when the pump power is 100 mW and 20 wt % P2O5 codoped Er3+‐doped silica‐based planar waveguides are used.