Internal gain from an erbium-doped oxyfluoride-silicate glass waveguide fabricated using femtosecond waveguide inscription

A channel waveguide is fabricated inside an erbium-doped oxyfluoride silicate glass sample using femtosecond pulses in the low repetition rate regime. The waveguide cross section is controlled using the multiscan fabrication technique. The 1.85-cm-long waveguide exhibits a total background insertion loss of 4.3 dB when coupled to Corning SMF-28 fibers. Under the maximum available pump power, the device exhibits an internal gain of 1.7 dB at 1537 nm.