A numerical study of erbium doped active LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguides by the beam propagation method

A numerical investigation of active waveguides realized on lithium niobate crystals using erbium as active element is presented. A software package is implemented to simulate the propagation of electromagnetic waves in graded-index active waveguides using an active vectorial beam propagation method (ABPM), which enables to calculate the optical field evolution along the propagation axis. A comparative study of the optical signal gain evolution as function of erbium concentration profiles obtained by various doping methods is presented. The optimal doping method, leading to the maximum gain, is determined.