Polymer-based O-band waveguide amplifier using NaLuF₄: Yb, Pr–PMMA nanocomposite as the gain medium

Nanoparticle (NP)-doped polymer waveguide devices have attracted increasing interest in some rapidly developing areas of broadband communications because they are easy to integrate on chip. As an important part of the gain medium of waveguide amplifiers, lanthanide-doped nanoparticles have been widely studied to improve the amplification performance of devices. However, current research work is almost limited to erbium-doped nanoparticles and amplifiers operating in the C-band. Implementing the O-band optical amplification technology remains a challenge. Here, we report a method for preparing O-band waveguide amplifiers using Yb³⁺ and Pr³⁺ co-doped nanoparticles–PMMA composite as the gain medium, recording for the first time to our knowledge a maximum optical gain of 19.4 dB/cm at 1300 nm in a polymer-based waveguide amplifier. Our results provide a valuable insight into the development of O-band polymer waveguide amplifiers with high gain. By combining with erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers (EDWAs) and thulium-doped waveguide amplifiers, amplification of the (O + S + C) band is expected to be achieved.