Up-conversion luminescence in low phonon heavy metal oxide glass co-doped with Er3+/Ho3+ ions

In this paper, heavy metal oxide glasses co-doped with erbium and holmium ions have been synthesized. Glass composition, based on bismuth and germanium oxides, has been selected in terms of high thermal stability (∆T = 125 °C), high refractive index (n = 2.19) and low maximum phonon energy (hνmax = 724 cm⁻¹). Up-conversion luminescence spectra under the 980 nm laser diode excitation have been observed as a result of radiative transitions within the quantum energy level structures of Er³⁺ and Ho³⁺ ions. Optimization of rare earth ions content has been conducted, the highest emission intensity in the visible wavelength range has been observed in glass co-doped with molar concentration 0.5 Er2O3 / 0.5 Ho2O3

Fluoroindate glass co-doped with Yb3+/Ho3+ as a 2.85 μm luminescent source for MID-IR sensing

This work reports on the fabrication and analysis of near-infrared and mid-infrared luminescence spectra and their decays in fluoroindate glasses co-doped with Yb3+/Ho3+. The attention has been paid to the analysis of the Yb3+ ! Ho3+ energy transfer processed ions in fluoroindate glasses pumped by 976 nm laser diode. The most effective sensitization for 2 um luminescence has been obtained in glass co-doped with 0.8YbF3/1.6HoF3. Further study in the midinfrared spectral range (2.85 um) showed that the maximum emission intensity has been obtained in fluoroindate glass co-doped with 0.1YbF3/1.4HoF3. The obtained efficiency of Yb3+ ! Ho3+ energy transfer was calculated to be up to 61% (0.8YbF3/1.6HoF3), which confirms the possibility of obtaining an efficient glass or glass fiber infrared source for a MID-infrared (MID-IR) sensing application

Influence of TiO2 concentration on near-infrared luminescence of Er3+ ions in barium gallo-germanate glasses

Erbium (Er)-doped barium gallo-germanate (BGG) glasses modified by TiO2 have been investigated for near-infrared luminescence applications. Luminescence at 1.5 μm associated to 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition of Er3+ ions has been examined in function of TiO2 concentration. Several spectroscopic and near-infrared (NIR) laser parameters for Er3+ such as stimulated emission cross-section, luminescence bandwidth and lifetime, quantum efficiency, gain bandwidth and figure of merit were determined based on experiments and theoretical calculations using the Judd-Ofelt framework. Our systematic investigations indicate that Er-doped glass with molar ratio GeO2:TiO2 = 1:2 shows excellent luminescence properties and could be successfully applied to near-infrared broadband optical amplifiers

Fluoroindate glasses co-doped with Pr3+/Er3+ for near-infrared luminescence applications

Fluoroindate glasses co-doped with Pr3+/Er3+ ions were synthesized and their near-infrared luminescence properties have been examined under selective excitation wavelengths. For the Pr3+/Er3+ co-doped glass samples several radiative and nonradiative relaxation channels and their mechanisms are proposed under direct excitation of Pr3+and/or Er3+. The energy transfer processes between Pr3+ and Er3+ ions in fluoroindate glasses were identified. In particular, broadband nearinfrared luminescence (FWHM = 278 nm) associated to the 1G4 → 3H5 (Pr3+), 1D2 → 1G4 (Pr3+) and 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 (Er3+) transitions of rare earth ions in fluoroindate glass is successfully observed under direct excitation at 483 nm. Near-infrared luminescence spectra and their decays for glass samples co-doped with Pr3+/ Er3+ are compared to the experimental results obtained for fluoroindate glasses singly doped with rare earth ions

Analysis of Excitation Energy Transfer in LaPO₄ Nanophosphors Co-Doped with Eu³⁺/Nd³⁺ and Eu³⁺/Nd³⁺/Yb³⁺ Ions

Nanophosphors are widely used, especially in biological applications in the first and second biological windows. Currently, nanophosphors doped with lanthanide ions (Ln3+) are attracting much attention. However, doping the matrix with lanthanide ions is associated with a narrow luminescence bandwidth. This paper describes the structural and luminescence properties of co-doped LaPO4 nanophosphors, fabricated by the co-precipitation method. X-ray structural analysis, scanning electron microscope measurements with EDS analysis, and luminescence measurements (excitation 395 nm) of LaPO4:Eu3+/Nd3+ and LaPO4:Eu3+/Nd3+/Yb3+ nanophosphors were made and energy transfer between rare-earth ions was investigated. Tests performed confirmed the crystal structure of the produced phosphors and deposition of rare-earth ions in the structure of LaPO4 nanocrystals. In the range of the first biological window (650–950 nm), strong luminescence bands at the wavelengths of 687 nm and 698 nm (5D0 → 7F4:Eu3+) and 867 nm, 873 nm, 889 nm, 896 nm, and 907 nm (4F3/2 → 4I9/2:Nd3+) were observed. At 980 nm, 991 nm, 1033 nm (2F5/2 → 2F7/2:Yb3+) and 1048 nm, 1060 nm, 1073 nm, and 1080 nm (4F3/2 → 4I9/2:Nd3+), strong bands of luminescence were visible in the 950 nm–1100 nm range, demonstrating that energy transfer took place

Crystallization Mechanism and Optical Properties of Antimony-Germanate-Silicate Glass-Ceramic Doped with Europium Ions

Glass-ceramic is semi-novel material with many applications, but it is still problematic in obtaining fibers. This paper aims to develop a new glass-ceramic material that is a compromise between crystallization, thermal stability, and optical properties required for optical fiber technology. This compromise is made possible by an alternative method with a controlled crystallization process and a suitable choice of the chemical composition of the core material. In this way, the annealing process is eliminated, and the core material adopts a glass-ceramic character with high transparency directly in the drawing process. In the experiment, low phonon antimony-germanate-silicate glass (SGS) doped with Eu3+ ions and different concentrations of P2O5 were fabricated. The glass material crystallized during the cooling process under conditions similar to the drawing processes’. Thermal stability (DSC), X-ray photo analysis (XRD), and spectroscopic were measured. Eu3+ ions were used as spectral probes to determine the effect of P2O5 on the asymmetry ratio for the selected transitions (5D0 → 7F1 and 5D0 → 7F2). From the measurements, it was observed that the material produced exhibited amorphous or glass-ceramic properties, strongly dependent on the nucleator concentration. In addition, the conducted study confirmed that europium ions co-form the EuPO4 structure during the cooling process from 730 °C to room temperature. Moreover, the asymmetry ratio was changed from over 4 to under 1. The result obtained confirms that the developed material has properties typical of transparent glass-ceramic while maintaining high thermal stability, which will enable the fabrication of fibers with the glass-ceramic core

Tm3+/Ho3+ profiled co-doped core area optical fiber for emission in the range of 1.6–2.1 µm

Abstract Double-clad optical fiber with a multi-ring core profile doped with thulium and holmium fabricated by Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition Chelate Doping Technology (MCVD-CDT) is presented. The measured Tm2O3 and Ho2O3 complexes’ weight concentrations were 0.5% and 0.2% respectively. Numerical analyses show weakly guiding conditions and 42.2 µm of MFD LP01 at 2000 nm. The low NA numerical aperture (NA = 0.054) was obtained for the 20/250 µm core/cladding ratio optical fiber construction. The emission spectra in the range of 1.6–2.1 µm vs. the fiber length are presented. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) decreases from 318 to 270 nm for fiber lengths from 2 to 10 m. The presented fiber design is of interest for the development of new construction of optical fibers operating in the eye-safe spectral range

The Effect of Fluorides (BaF2, MgF2, AlF3) on Structural and Luminescent Properties of Er3+-Doped Gallo-Germanate Glass

The effect of BaF2, MgF2, and AlF3 on the structural and luminescent properties of gallo-germanate glass (BGG) doped with erbium ions was investigated. A detailed analysis of infrared and Raman spectra shows that the local environment of erbium ions in the glass was influenced mainly by [GeO]4 and [GeO]6 units. Moreover, the highest number of non-bridging oxygens was found in the network of the BGG glass modified by MgF2. The 27Al MAS NMR spectrum of BGG glass with AlF3 suggests the presence of aluminum in tetra-, penta-, and octahedral coordination geometry. Therefore, the probability of the 4I13/2→4I15/2 transition of Er3+ ions increases in the BGG + MgF2 glass system. On the other hand, the luminescence spectra showed that the fluoride modifiers lead to an enhancement in the emission of each analyzed transition when different excitation sources are employed (808 nm and 980 nm). The analysis of energy transfer mechanisms shows that the fluoride compounds promote the emission intensity in different channels. These results represent a strong base for designing glasses with unique luminescent properties