Preparation and characterization of Er3+-Yb3+-Ce3+ co-doped transparent glass ceramic containing nano Ca5(PO4)3F crystals

A transparent glass ceramic tri-doped with Ce3+/Er3+/Yb3+ was fabricated by the high-temperature melting technique and following heat-treatment. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope results demonstrated that Ca5(PO4)3F(FAP) nanocrystals, possessed with preferable emission performances for the 1.54 μm transition for doping Er3+, were homogeneously precipitated among the glass matrix with a mean size of 30 nm. Addition of Ce3+ greatly enhanced 1.54 μm fluorescence of Er3+ by the cross relaxation energy transfer between Er3+ and Ce3+. Meanwhile, incorporation of Ce3+ dramatically decreased the visible upconversion emission intensity of glass ceramic than that of glass, suggesting that Ce3+ might incorporate into the FAP nanocrystals. The properties of this transparent glass ceramic showed the potential application as an efficient 980 nm pumped infrared laser medium.

Graphical AbstractNIR emission spectra of Er3+ in glass ceramic samples with different contents of CeO2, excited at 980 nmFigure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide