Influence of gold nanoparticles on the 805 nm gain in Tm3+/Yb3+ codoped PbO-GeO2 pedestal waveguides

Abstract The production and characterization of pedestal waveguides based on PbO-GeO 2 amorphous thin films codoped with Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ , with and without gold nanoparticles (NPs), are reported. Pedestal structure was obtained by conventional photolithography and plasma etching. Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ codoped PGO amorphous thin film was obtained by RF Magnetron Sputtering deposition and used as core layer in the pedestal optical waveguide. The minimum propagation losses in the waveguide were 3.6 dB/cm at 1068 nm. The internal gain at 805 nm was enhanced and increased to 8.67 dB due to the presence of gold NPs. These results demonstrate for the first time that Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ codoped PbO-GeO 2 waveguides are promising for first telecom window and integrated photonics, especially for applications on fiber network at short distances.