Effect of Tm3+ codoping on the near-infrared and upconversion emissions of Er3+ in TeO2-ZnO-ZnF2 glasses

In this work, we report the near-infrared emission and upconversion of Er3+-Tm3+ codoped fluorotellurite TeO2-ZnO- ZnF2 glasses for different Tm3+ concentrations by using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy. A broad emission from 1350 to 1700 nm corresponding to the 3H4→3F4 (Tm3+) and 4I13/2→4I 15/2 (Er3+) emissions which cover the complete telecommunication window of the wavelength-division-multiplexing transmission systems is observed. The full width at half-maximum of this broadband increases with increasing Tm3+/Er3+ concentration ratio up to a value of~150 nm. Energy transfer between Er3+ and Tm3+ ions is also observed and analyzed by both the temporal behavior of the near-infrared luminescence and the effect of Tm3+ codoping on the visible upconversion of Er3+ ions. The addition of Tm3+ reduces the upconverted green emission due to Er3+→Tm 3+ energy transfer whereas the red emission is enhanced due to the cross-relaxation 3F4→3H 6(Tm3+):4I11/2→ 4F9/2(Er3+) process. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.This work has been supported by the Spanish Government MINECO (Projects MAT2009-14282-C02-02, MAT2009-14282-C02-01, and FIS2011-27968, and the Basque Country Government (Project IT-659-13). A. Miguel and R. Morea acknowledge FPI grants from the Spanish Government.Peer Reviewe