Enhanced MIR emission of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fluorochloride glass with energy transfer and MIR light source application

Abstract

The novel Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fluorochloride glasses with good luminescent properties in the infrared region have been prepared. The middle infrared (MIR) luminescence of fluorochloride glasses is improved by anion substitution and rare-earth ion co-doping strategy. The chloridion doping reduces the phonon state density of the host matrix significantly. The ytterbium ions co-doping promotes the effective energy transfer of Yb3+:2F5/2 → Er3+:4I11/2. The Ω2 value of samples increases with the introduction of Yb3+, which means great asymmetry and strong covalency. The emission cross-section area σem (1.06 × 10−20 cm2) and the absorption cross-sectional area σabs (0.97 × 10−20 cm2) of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped sample are all larger than that in the previous report. The fluorescence decay characteristics of samples at 980 nm and 1550 nm were investigated. In addition, a MIR light source was prepared preliminarily. Therefore, Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped fluorochloride glass is a potential MIR laser material.