Understanding Al2O3:Er3+ device performance

Al2O3:Er3+ thin films were deposited on Si wafers and subsequently structured. On-chip devices such as amplifiers, ring lasers and a loss-less splitter were fabricated; data transmission at 170 Gbits/s and monolithic integration with SOI waveguides were demonstrated. The discrepancy between device performance and predictions deriving from the analysis of spectroscopic data prompted us to develop an Er3+ rate-equation model that, besides accounting for “slow‿ energy-transfer and upconversion processes, also considered the presence of luminescence quenching mechanisms occurring at significantly shorter time scales.