Role of PbO substitution by Bi 2O 3 on 1.47 μm luminescence properties of Tm 3+/Tb 3+-doped Bi 2O 3–GeO 2–Ga 2O 3 glass

Abstract

Spectroscopic properties and energy transfer (ET) in Bi 2O 3(PbO)–GeO 2–Ga 2O 3 (BPGG) glass doped with Tm 3+ and/or Tb 3+ have been investigated. It is noted that the Tm 3+ single-doped BPGG glass exhibits broad 1.47-μm fluorescence peaked at 1465 nm with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of ∼134 nm. The incorporation of Tb 3+ into Tm 3+-doped BPGG glass could significantly decrease the 1.80 μm emission intensity and enhance the intensity ratio of 1.47-μm to 1.80-μm ( I 1.47/ I 1.80), which reveals that Tb 3+ ion can be considered to be an effective sensitizer ion on improving the 1.47-μm emission. The products of FWHM × σ e p e a k and τ f × σ e p e a k for the 1.47-μm fluorescence are in the range of 5.66–6.63 × 10 −26 cm 3 and 8.76–10.02 × 10 −25 cm 2 s. Effects of Bi 2O 3 substitution for PbO on spectroscopic properties, such as 1.47-μm emission of Tm 3+, Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters Ω t ( t = 2, 4, 6), and the lifetime of the 3H 4 level of Tm 3+, have also been investigated.