Tellurite Glasses for Broadband Amplifiers and Integrated Optics

Abstract

The present investigation discusses the advantage of using RE‐ion‐doped (Nd 3+ , Tm 3+ , and Er 3+ ) TeO 2 glasses for developing fiber and planar broadband amplifiers and lasers. The spectroscopy of RE‐ion‐doped fibers and glasses is discussed along with the thermal properties of glass hosts. The results of emission from the 3 H 4 level in single‐mode Tm 3+ ‐doped tellurite fiber show that the emission band overlaps with Er 3+ emission from the 4 I 13/2 level and Nd 3+ emission from the 4 F 3/2 level in silicate and tellurite glasses, thereby enabling the development of amplifiers and lasers between 1350 and 1650 nm. Recent results using Z‐scan measurements of nonlinear refractive index and absorption demonstrate that the third‐order nonlinearity in undoped TeO 2 glasses is of the order of 2 × 10 −15 to 3 × 10 −15 cm 2 ·W −1 between 1300 and 1550 nm. These results are briefly discussed in view of an amplifier operation combined with ultrafast all‐optical switching.