The impact of Er/Yb co-doping on the spectroscopic performance of bismuth borophosphate glasses for photonic applications

Abstract

In the current study, a sequence of Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped bismuth borophosphate glasses [EBiBPxY] having the chemical-formula (49.5−x)B2O3 − 20P2O5 − 10LiF − 10PbO − 10Bi2O3 − 0.5Er2O3 − xYb2O3 were synthesized employing the melt-quenching procedure. The structural and compositional studies made by analyzing XRD and FTIR spectra, respectively. The dopant-host bonding-nature is analyzed from the bonding parameters. 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 (green) transition possesses more intensity than the transition 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 (red). The broader peak intensity changes with Yb2O3 concentration. It is owing to the energy-diffusion among Yb3+ and Er3+. The peak is consequent to the transition 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 and appears at 1530 nm. The Judd-Ofelt (JO) parameters are following Ω2>Ω4>Ω6 trend. Eopt, the optical band-gap, is falling with RE3+ content owing to the creation of non-bridging oxygen (nBO's). This implies a rise in the nBO's, possibly will decrease the conduction-band minima and valence-band maxima separation. While scrutinizing the luminescence properties, the radiative parameter values of EBiBP0.5Y glass (corresponds to the 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 as well as 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transitions) are dominant. The same can be useful for green-laser and broadband optical-amplifier applications.