Er‐Activated Hybridized Glass Fiber for Broadband Telecommunication

Abstract With the rapid development of 5G networks, the Internet of Things, and new‐generation of AI, there are considerable demands on expanding the capacity of contemporary optical fiber communication systems. One of the most effective avenues involves the extension of the bandwidth of Er‐doped fiber amplifiers, but with limited success. Herein, an Er‐activated hybridized glass fiber are reported, which can help realize broadband telecommunication. The effect of element hybridization on the bandwidth of Er‐activated fiber is clarified and the structure‐optical response relationship is established. A two‐step deposition approach is proposed to overcome the immiscibility barrier of different hybridized elements, and Er‐activated fiber with uniform doping is constructed. The activated fiber presents excellent compatibility with commercial telecommunication systems, providing a small signal gain of >13 dB in the whole L‐band range and a maximum gain of 28 dB. Furthermore, the Er‐activated fiber amplifier device is successfully developed. It exhibits outstanding optical amplification performance with gain >24 dB in the range of 1580–1624 nm, gain fluctuation less than ±0.9 dB, and noise figure <6.5 dB. The results not only provide a new strategy for developing novel active broadband optical fibers, but a valuable solution for new‐generation large‐capacity optical fiber communication systems.