Cooperative energy transfer frequency upconversion in Tb3+/Yb3+-codoped oxyfluoride glasses

In this report, we investigate the cooperative energy transfer frequency upconversion in Tb3+/Yb3+-codoped SiO2–Al2O3–Na2O–ZnF2 oxyfluoride glasses under 980 nm diode laser excitation. The influence of both Tb3+ and Yb3+ concentration on the emission bands were investigated. With a lower Tb3+ concentration, the emission bands around 381, 416 and 438 nm, and 489, 545, 587 and 623 nm associated with 5D3, 5G6 → 7FJ (J = 6, 5, 4) and 5D4 → 7FJ (J = 6, 5, 4, 3) transitions were observed. However, only 5D4 → 7FJ (J = 6, 5, 4, 3) transitions appear in a higher Tb3+ concentration. The integrated upconversion luminescence intensity was examined when the temperature of sample was varied from 40 to 450 K. The dependence of the upconversion emission intensity upon the excitation power was also examined, and the upconversion mechanisms were discussed.