Spectroscopic properties of Pr3+: 1D2 → 1G4 transition in SiO2-based glasses

The Pr3+: 1D2 → 1G4 transition in silica-based oxide glasses, which emits a strong luminescence centered at about 1530 nm with full-width at half-maximum wider than 200 nm, may reserve potential practicality owing to its fairly long fluorescence lifetime of ∼270 μs corresponding to theoretical quantum efficiency approaching unity and its emission wavelengths matching up to the optical communication window of silica transmission fiber. To minimize non-radiative energy transfers among the active ions, the host materials need doping concentration of Pr2O3 tantamount to not more than 0.01 mol%. Impact of ground state absorption to (3F3, 3F4) level on the emission is discussed and then efficient excitation schemes are proposed.