Preparation and Luminescence of Er3+ Doped Oxyfluoride Glass Ceramics Containing LaF3 Nanocrystals

Er3+ doped transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing LaF3 nanocrystals were prepared and the up-conversion and near infrared luminescence behavior of Er3+ in glasses and glass ceramics were investigated. With increasing heat-treating time and temperature, the size (varied from 0 to 19 nm) and crystallinity (varied from 0 to 47%) of LaF3 nanocrystals in the glass ceramics are increased. The up-conversion luminescence intensity of Er3+ ions in the glass ceramics is much stronger than that in the glasses and increased significantly with increasing heat-treating time and temperature. The near infrared emission of Er3+ ions in the glass ceramics is found to be similar to that in the glasses.