Broadband ∼3 μm mid-infrared emission in Dy3+/Yb3+ co-doped germanate glasses

The Dy3+/Yb3+ co-doped germanate glasses with good thermal stability have been prepared by the conventional melt quenching method. The J-O intensity parameters and radiative properties such as spontaneous transition probilities (Arad), fluorescence branching ratios (β) and radiative lifetimes (τrad) were investigated according to the absorption spectrum based on Judd-Ofelt theory. An intense emission around ∼3 μm with the FWHM reaching to 322 nm was obtained in present glasses excited by 980 nm LD. The high spontaneous transition probability (63.94 s−1), large emission cross section (6.0 × 10−21 cm2) and superior gain performance corresponding to the Dy3+: 6H13/2 → 6H15/2 transition were obtained. Moreover, the energy transfer mechanism was analyzed qualitatively, and it was found that the energy transfer from Yb3+: 2F5/2 to Dy3+: 6H5/2 level could be quite efficient. Hence, the results indicated that the prepared Dy3+/Yb3+ co-doped germanate glass could be a potential candidate for ∼3 μm mid-infrared solid state lasers.