Novel broadband Cr:YAG chip fabricated by sol-gel technique for optical amplifiers.

We introduce a novel Cr:YAG waveguide, fabricated using the sol-gel technique, as a potential game-changer in high-speed optical communication. This waveguide, a strong candidate for a broadband fiber amplifier covering the interval from 1.3 μm to 1.6 μm, is fabricated on a coat-etched microchannel quartz substrate. The waveguide's fluorescence spectrum is centered at 1550 nm, boasting a gain measurement of 1.2 dB. These waveguide chips, with their exciting potential for integration into silicon photonic chips, are positioned to bring about significant advancements in high-speed optical communication applications.