Applied Physics Letters, cilt.86, sa.2, 2005 (SCI-Expanded)
Ta2O5 waveguides offer great potential for high-density active photonic crystal circuits and their combination with rare-earth dopants for active devices is of interest for increasing their potential functionality. To this end, neodymium-doped Ta2O5 rib waveguide lasers have been fabricated on an oxidized silicon wafer by rf sputtering and argon ion-beam milling and laser action in this material has been demonstrated. Lasing was observed at wavelenghts between 1060 and 1080 nm and an absorbed pump power threshold of 87 mW was obtained. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.