Er:Yb-doped waveguide amplifier and laser fabricated by using a new diode-pumped femtosecond oscillator

We demonstrated for the first time effective amplification and laser action in a 20-mm long waveguide fabricated on a erbium-ytterbium-doped phosphate glass by means of femtosecond laser pulses. Gain in the full C-band with more than 2 dB/cm peak value and laser action with 2 dBm output power was achieved. Waveguides were manufactured using the 520-nm radiation from a frequency-doubled, diode-pumped cavity-dumped Yb:glass laser operating at 166 kHz repetition rate, with 300 fs pulse duration. A writing time of a few seconds is demonstrated.