Rib waveguide dye-doped polymer amplifier with up to 26 dB optical gain at 625 nm

We report optical signal amplification in a solid-state dye-doped polymer with a rib waveguide structure. A 625 nm pulsed signal and a collinear 575 nm pump are coupled into a 1 mumx120 mum poly(methyl methacrylate) waveguide doped with 1% by weight Rhodamine 640 dye. Depending on the signal intensity, a maximum optical gain in the 21-26 dB range is obtained from a 1.2-cm-long device, accompanied by a signal-to-noise ratio in the 9-16 dB range. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.