Infrared emission from Er3Â +/Y3Â + co-doped oxyfluoride glass-ceramics

Infrared emission properties of oxyfluoride glasses with nominal compositions of 55SiO2-10Al2O3-(35 − x − y)PbF2-xErF3-yYF3 (in mol%) with x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, or 0.5 and y = 0, or 1.0, were investigated. YF3 was doped into the glasses to overcome the concentration quenching and achieve efficient infrared emission from Er3 + doped oxyfluoride glass-ceramics. It was found that introduction of YF3 can efficiently promote the formation of Er3 +-doped fluoride nanocrystals even when the doping concentration of ErF3 was low. With the doping of YF3, infrared emission was significantly enhanced and strong infrared emissions at 980 nm and 2730 nm bands were observed. Prolongation of lifetimes of Er3 +:4I13/2 and 4I11/2 energy levels showed that concentration quenching of the infrared emissions was greatly suppressed. These results indicate that oxyfluoride glass-ceramics co-doped with Y3 + have potentials for efficient infrared applications.