Energy transfer and enhanced 1.53 µm band signal gain in Er3+/Ce3+ codoped tellurite glass fiber

- Er3+/Ce3+ codoped tellurite glass was prepared by melt-quenching method.
- Er3+/Ce3+ codoping improved the 1.53 μm band fluorescence due to the energy transfer.
- The quantitative study of energy transfer mechanism between Er3+ and Ce3+ was presented.
- The 1.53 μm band signal gain of tellurite glass fiber was simulated theoretically.
- Er3+/Ce3+ codoping evidently improved the 1.53 μm band signal gain of glass fiber.

A detailed study of the energy transfer between Er3+ and Ce3+ ions and its enhanced effects on the 1.53 µm band signal gain in Er3+/Ce3+ codoped tellurite glass fiber under the excitation of 980 nm is reported. The absorption spectra, visible upconversion spectra, infrared fluorescence spectra of Er3+ doped and Er3+/Ce3+ codoped glass samples were measured, and the 1.53 µm band signal gain of Er3+ doped and Er3+/Ce3+ codoped glass fiber was calculated based on the rate and power propagation equations. Codoping Ce3+ with Er3+ ions can significantly suppress the visible upconversion emission and meanwhile improves the 1.53 µm band fluorescence, and an increment of about 6.4 dB signal gain at 1532 nm was found in a 40 cm glass fiber with 150 mW pumping power at 980 nm, which is ascribed to the energy transfer between Er3+ and Ce3+ ions. The quantitative analysis showed that the energy transfer between Er3+ and Ce3+ ions is a one phonon and two phonon-assisted energy transfer process. The results indicated that Er3+/Ce3+ codoping is a suitable scheme for low phonon energy tellurite glass fiber applied for broadband and high gain EDFA.