2.1 μm emission of Tm3+/Ho3+ - doped antimony-silicate glasses for active optical fibre

Abstract

2.1 μm emission of Tm3+/Ho3+ - doped antimony-silicate glasses for active optical fibre Tm3+/Ho3+ - doped antimony-silicate optical fibre with 2.1 μm emission has been presented. Luminescence corresponding to 5I7 → 5I8 transition in holmium was obtained by energy transfer between Tm3+ and Ho3+ ions. The analysis of the luminescence mechanism showed a significant influence of the glass composition (low phonon content) on the emission intensity. Optimization of the active elements content, presented in the paper, allowed to indicate that a strong emission intensity at 2 μm in the fabricated glasses was obtained for the molar composition of 1% Tm2O3 : 0.75% Ho2O3. According to the Förster-Dexter theory, the efficiency of energy transfer of the 3F4 (Tm3+) → 5I7 (Ho3+) transition was calculated. Moreover, it was found that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of luminescence in the range of 1.6 - 2.2 μm strongly depends on the Tm3+/Ho3+ ratio. The optimization of Tm3+/Ho3+ transfer in antimony-silicate glasses allowed to fabricate optical fibre with narrowing and red-shifting of emission at 2.1 μm.