Broadband 1.5 μm emission of Er3+ ions in bismuth-based oxide glasses for WDM amplifier

Internet and data traffic is rapidly stimulating the demand for higher information transmission capacity of the backbone optical network. To meet this capacity demand, the commercialization of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) have been the key technology for the massive development of wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). Much effort has been performed to broaden and flatten the EDFA bandwidth to increase the capacity in the WDM system. Tellurite-based EDFA was recently reported to provide the wider signal amplification bandwidth than silica-based EDFA in the spectral range that includes the 1.6 μm band. We have prepared novel Er-doped Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂ glasses which are expected to exhibit broadband emission because of high refractive index. In the paper, we report on broadband emission and concentration quenching properties of Er-doped bismuth-based glasses