Enhancement of lifetime in Er-doped silica optical fiber by doping Yb ions via atomic layer deposition

Abstract

In this study, the influence of ytterbium ions (Yb3+) on the fluorescence lifetime of erbium (Er)-doped silica optical fiber (EDF) is investigated. An Er/Yb co-doped fiber is fabricated by modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD), along with the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. Moreover, the spectral properties of this fiber, such as absorption, luminescence, excitation and emission spectra, and the fluorescence lifetime, are studied experimentally; the results of the experiments are then compared with those of the EDF. The results revealed the existence of a broadband luminescence spectrum at 800-1300 nm. The fluorescence lifetime of the Er/Yb co-doped fiber at 1531 nm is 11.77 ms, whereas that of the EDF is 10.16 ms. The lifetime of Yb3+ is 415 µs, which is 565 µs less than that of the Yb-doped fiber (980 µs), at 1033 nm. Simultaneously, various models of the Er-doped, Yb-doped, and Er/Yb co-doped fibers in three membered ring (3MR) structures were built, and their excited states were analyzed. The results indicated that an energy transfer is associated with the change in lifetime, and that the doping of Yb3+ significantly improves the fluorescence lifetime of Er3+ at 1533 nm.