Heat-treating temperature dependent 1.53 µm fluorescence enhancement in Er3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite glasses containing silver NPs

Silver nanoparticles (NPs) were embedded into Er3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite glasses prepared using melt-quenching and subsequent heat-treating techniques, and the influence of heat-treating temperature (300, 330, 360 and 390 °C) on the 1.53 µm fluorescence of Er3+ under the excitation of 980 nm LD was investigated. The 1.53 µm fluorescence increased with the heat-treating temperature in the investigated temperature range, which is attributed to the enhanced local electric field around Er3+ induced by localized surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of silver NPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the low heat-treating temperature (300 °C) is not enough to nucleate and grow the silver NPs, while near-spherical silver NPs with mean diameter ~13 nm were dispersed in glass heat-treated for 6 h at temperature 390 °C. The results indicate that a relatively high heat-treating temperature is beneficial for the formation of silver NPs and in turn the enhancement of 1.53 µm fluorescence in Er3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite glass.