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Engineering lattice matching, doping level, and optical properties of KY(WO4)2:Gd, Lu, Yb layers for a cladding-side-pumped channel waveguide laser

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Abstract

Single-crystalline KY1−x−y−z GdxLuyYbz(WO4)2 layers are grown onto undoped KY(WO4)2 substrates by liquid-phase epitaxy. The purpose of co-doping the KY(WO4)2 layer with suitable fractions of Gd3+ and Lu3+ is to achieve lattice-matched layers that allow us to engineer a high refractive-index contrast between waveguiding layer and substrate for obtaining tight optical mode confinement and simultaneously accommodate a large range of Yb3+ doping concentrations by replacing Lu3+ ions of similar ionic radius for a variety of optical amplifier or laser applications. Crack-free layers, up to a maximum lattice mismatch of ~0.08 %, are grown with systematic variations of Y3+, Gd3+, Lu3+, and Yb3+ concentrations, their refractive indices are measured at several wavelengths, and Sellmeier dispersion curves are derived. The influence of co-doping on the spectroscopy of Yb3+ is investigated. As evidenced by the experimental results, the lattice constants, refractive indices, and transition cross-sections of Yb3+ in these co-doped layers can be approximated with good accuracy by weighted averages of data from the pure compounds. The obtained information is exploited to fabricate a twofold refractive-index-engineered sample consisting of a highly Yb3+-doped tapered channel waveguide embedded in a passive planar waveguide, and a cladding-side-pumped channel waveguide laser is demonstrated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank A. Hollink for technical assistance with the growth setup, Yaroslav E. Romanyuk for helpful discussions, and Martin Krejci from Oclaro Inc. for providing the diode bar. This project was financially supported by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) through the VICI Grant no. 07207 “Photonic integrated structures”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrated Optical MicroSystems Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Shanmugam Aravazhi, Dimitri Geskus, Koop van Dalfsen, Sergio A. Vázquez-Córdova, Christos Grivas, Sonia M. García-Blanco & Markus Pollnau

  2. On leave from: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Christos Grivas

  3. Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy, Max-Born-Str. 2a, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Uwe Griebner

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  1. Shanmugam Aravazhi
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Correspondence to Markus Pollnau.

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Aravazhi, S., Geskus, D., van Dalfsen, K. et al. Engineering lattice matching, doping level, and optical properties of KY(WO4)2:Gd, Lu, Yb layers for a cladding-side-pumped channel waveguide laser. Appl. Phys. B 111, 433–446 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-013-5353-1

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