Modeling of integrated erbium doped optical amplifiers: influence of background loss and requirements to process control

An overview of the development on lossless Er-doped Y-branches and high gain Er-doped waveguide amplifiers is given, and their applications in future prospects are reviewed. A comprehensive model is presented for the integrated Er-doped phosphate silica amplifier, that includes high concentration ion-ion interaction. The model is applied to a rigorous design optimization of high gain amplifiers, where the influence of variations in the launched pump power, the core cross-section, the waveguide length, the Er-concentration, and the background loss are evaluated. Optimal design proposals are given and the process reproducibility of the proposed design is examined. Requirements to process parameter control in the fabrication of the Er-doped waveguide are also set up.