Silver nanoparticles enhanced photoluminescence of Nd3+ doped germanate glasses at 1064Â nm

We report on the infrared photoluminescence properties of germanate glasses doped with neodymium. Growth of 160% in the 1064 nm luminescence due to silver nanoparticles embedded in the samples was observed. The results indicate the possibility of building efficient waveguide optical amplifier using the samples as substrates. (a) Simplified energy level scheme of Nd3+ with indication of the transitions studied. (b) Emission spectra of Nd3+ doped PGO samples without and with silver NPs heat-treated during different times: open circles (1 h), triangles (24 h), squares (48 h), full circles (72 h), stars (sample without heat-treatment). The figures indicate the Nd3+ transitions studied and the increase of luminescence with the increase of silver nanoparticles concentration.215