40 Gbit/s transmission in a silicon-compatible Al2O3:Er3+ integrated optical amplifier

Erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers (EDWAs) are of interest for their potential use in integrated photonic circuits. Unlike semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), which are typically fabricated using costly III–V materials and are limited in their capacity to amplify WDM signals (≪ 20 Gbit/s per channel) due to transient carrier effects [1], EDWA fabrication and design is straightforward, they can be processed directly on silicon, and their all-optical operation and long excited-state lifetime mean that amplification at high data rates is feasible [2]. Previously, transmission experiments at up to 10 Gbit/s have been reported using an EDWA [3]. In this paper we present the results of amplification of a 40-Gbit/s optical signal using an EDWA.