Net continuous wave optical gain in a low loss silicon-on-insulator waveguide by stimulated Raman scattering

We observe for the first time net continuous wave optical gain in a low loss silicon-on-insulator waveguide based on stimulated Raman scattering. We show that nonlinear optical loss due to two-photon absorption induced free carrier absorption can be significantly reduced by introducing a reverse biased p-i-n diode in the waveguide. For a 4.8 cm long waveguide with an effective core area of similar to 1.6 mum(2), we obtain a net CW Raman gain of > 3dB with a pump power of similar to 700mW inside the waveguide. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.