Slow light enhanced near infrared luminescence in CeO2: Er3+, Yb3+ inverse opal photonic crystals

The surface plasmon resonances of metal nanoparticles and energy transfer between rare earth ions were used widely to enhance the near infrared emission of rare earth ions. In this paper, a new method for near infrared emission enhancement of rare-earth is reported. The CeO2: Er3+, Yb3+ inverse opals with the photonic band gaps at the 500 and 450 nm were prepared by using polystyrene colloidal crystal as templates, and their near infrared emission properties were investigated. The results show that the near infrared emission property of the CeO2: Er3+, Yb3+ inverse opals depends on the overlapped extend between the excited light and photonic band gap. The near infrared emission located at the 1540 nm of the CeO2: Er3+, Yb3+ inverse opals have been enhanced obviously when the wavelength of the excitation light overlapped with photonic band gaps edge, which is attributed to the slow light effect of photonic crystals. The enhancement of near infrared emission may be important for the development of infrared laser and amplifiers for optical communication.