Characteristics of Er-doped Al(2)O(3) thin films deposited by reactive co-sputtering

Er-doped Al(2)O(3) thin films have been deposited by reactive co-sputtering onto thermally oxidized Si-wafers. The deposition process has been optimized with respect to the requirements originating from the application of these multilayer structures as integrated optical amplifiers for the third telecom window, i.e., the wavelength range 1.52-1.55 mum. The films obtained at a substrate temperature of only 400 deg C are amorphous and show a homogenous structure, without columns or grains. For slabguides, background losses smaller than 0.25 dB/cm have been obtained, even without any annealing. A relatively broad luminescence band, having an FWHM of ~55 nm around the 1.533-mum wavelength, has been measured. From gain versus pumping power curves, an upconversion coefficient lower then 20.;10(-25) m(3)/s has been derived, being half of the values reported up to now in the literature. Simulations based on experimentally determined material parameters and assuming a channel attenuation of 0.5 dB/cm indicate, for 0.24 at.% Er channel devices with an optimal channel length of 7.7 cm, an amplification of 8 dB at 1.533 mum for a pump wavelength of 1.48 mum, and a pump power of only 8.7 mW