Single-mode channel waveguide at 1540Â nm in Er-doped ZnO thin film

Er-doped ZnO thin film is fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technology. It is found that the Er:ZnO film has good film quality with excellent single-mode characteristic. When the film is stimulated by 532 nm laser, one waveguide mode at 1540 nm can be excited. By confining the lateral width of planar waveguide, a single-mode channel waveguide at 1540 nm is fabricated by focused-ion-beam etching. This kind of waveguide meets the requirements of single-mode and low loss in optical communication, which could be a choice for future optical design.