Excellent luminescence performance of Ho3+ ions based on a new system of oxyhalide glass

Abstract

Ho3+ ion has attracted attention owing to its rich energy level structures and ability to emit emissions covering from visible to mid-infrared region. However, finding a suitable host of solid luminescence matrix material for its luminescence is a huge challenge at present. In this paper, a new system of oxyhalide glass based on tellurite-germanate and modified with MgCl2 is investigated. It is worth mentioning that through the mixed structural design, the thermal properties of the matrix are further optimized, and the symmetries of the coordination structure near Ho3+ are broken, thus making a great contribution to improving Ho3+ 2–3 μm luminescence, with more than 4-fold increase in fluorescence intensities, and long fluorescence lifetime of 1.24 ms for Ho3+: 5I7 level. The combined experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations confirm that oxyhalide glass is a very advantageous matrix material, which provides more possibilities for the application of Ho3+ in MIR lasers.