Er 3+ – Yb 3+ codoped polymeric optical waveguide amplifiers

Codoping of erbium (Er3+) and ytterbium (Yb3+) rare-earth ions in polymer was studied for optical amplifier applications. The absorption spectrum confirms that the presence of Yb3+ ions enhances the absorption efficiency of Er3+ ions. Typical Er3+ luminescence at ∼1540 nm wavelength was observed, and the full width at half maximum bandwidth is ∼47 nm wide. Multimode Er3+–Yb3+ codoped polymeric channel waveguides were fabricated using electron beam direct writing. With an input signal power of <−18 dB m, an optical gain of 13 dB at a wavelength of 1533 nm was measured in an 18 mm long multimode channel waveguide.