Bismuth silicate glass: A new choice for 2 μm fiber lasers

We report on a new Yb3+/Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped bismuth silicate glass: SiO2–Bi2O3–R2O (R = Li, Na, K) for 2 μm fiber lasers. Bi2O3 was introduced into alkali silicate glass to optimize 2 μm emission properties. Physical, chemical and spectroscopic properties of Yb3+/Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped SiO2–Bi2O3–R2O (SBR) glass were presented. The Yb3+/Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped SBR glass shows excellent thermal stability (ΔT = 162 °C), an intense 2.0 μm emission pumped by 980 nm LD with a lifetime of 1.33 ms and width of 168 nm, large maximum emission cross section of Ho3+ (5.3 × 10−21 cm2), thus large σemτ product (7.049 × 10−24 cm2 s), which suggest its application in 2 μm fiber lasers.

► We develop a new Yb3+/Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped bismuth silicate glass for 2 μm fiber lasers.
► The addition of Bi2O3 improves the physical properties of normal silicate glass.
► Bismuth silicate glass has better spectroscopic properties than normal silicate glass.
► Bismuth silicate glass could be a promising material for 2 μm fiber lasers.