Influence of temperature and acceptor concentration on energy transfer from Nd 3+ to Yb 3+ and from Yb 3+ to Er 3+ in tellurite glass

Abstract

Multicomponent tellurite glass doped with neodymium, erbium and ytterbium were studied experimentally using the methods of conventional spectroscopy. Results of measurements were interpreted on the basis of a kinetic model which describes the interactions between rare earth ions in terms of parameters characterizing the probabilities of energy migration and luminescence quenching. The probability of Nd 3+ − Yb 3+ energy transfer is found to be high and independent on temperature in the range 13–300 K. This is due partly to the lack of back transfer from ytterbium to neodymium. Observed excitation energy transfer from Yb 3+ to Er 3+ is considerably less efficient because the small rate of multiphonon relaxations from the 4 I 11 2 level of Er 3+ favours an efficient back transfer from erbium to ytterbium.