Applications and low cost processing of Erbium Quinolinolates for active integrated photonic devices

Rare earth-doped organic materials represent a promising alternative to play the role of active materials for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), meeting the requirement of low cost integration. In particular, Erbium Quinolinolates (ErQ) attracted a strong interest in the last decade for their good efficiency of emission in the C band of the optical communications centered at 1550 nm. In this paper, a resume of the application of ErQ for processing of photonic devices is presented. Results deriving from the optical characterization of the ErQ materials and their application as active materials into optical waveguides and light emitting devices are reported. Finally, the results of the improvement of the ErQs via a purposed chemical synthesis towards more efficient and lower cost solution processed devices are presented.