Er 3+ -doped multicomponent sol-gel-processed silica glass for optical signal amplification at 1.5 μm

Abstract
We have developed a multicomponent K–Er codoped silica-based sol-gel glass that presents high luminescence quantum yield (∼100 times larger than that of an Er-doped silica sol-gel glass) and long emission lifetime at 1.54 μm (17 ms). The glass was heat treated to melting temperature with the optical properties of the system remaining practically unchanged. The IR absorption data shows that the hydroxyl content of this multicomponent glass is drastically reduced to a few tens of parts per million by using optimized compositions. The maximum gain coefficient expected for this glass is ∼4.5 dB/cm at 1.5 μm.