Doped tellurite glasses: Extending near‐infrared emission for near‐2.0‐μm amplifiers

• Published in: International journal of applied glass science Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 216 - 225
• Main Authors: Seshadri, M., Anjos, V., Bell, M. J. V., Barbosa, Luiz C., Bosco, Giácomo B. F., Tessler, Leandro R., Suresh Kumar, J., Graça, Manuel P. F., Soares, Manuel. J., Radha, M., Ratnakaram, Y. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Westerville Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2017
• Subjects: Amplification; Amplifiers; Broadband; Cross-sections; Emission analysis; Energy transfer; Excitation; Lasers; Near infrared radiation; optical properties; photoluminescence; Quenching; Solid state lasers; Stimulated emission; telluride; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 2041-1286; 2041-1294
• DOI: 10.1111/ijag.12213

Tm3+‐singly‐doped and Tm3+‐/Ho3+‐codoped TeO2‐Bi2O3‐ZnO‐Li2O‐Nb2O5 (TBZLN) tellurite glasses were successfully prepared by the melt‐quenching technique. Emission characteristics and energy transfer mechanisms were studied upon 785‐nm laser diode excitation. A significant enhancement of emission intensity at 1.81 μm with increasing concentration of Tm3+ ions has been observed while increase in the emission intensity at 2.0 μm with increasing concentration of Ho3+ has been observed up to the equal concentration of Tm3+ (0.5 mol%) in TBZLN glasses. The stimulated emission cross section of Tm3+: 3F4→3H6 (5.20×10−21 cm2) and Ho3+: 5I7→5I8 (4.00×10−21 cm2) in 1.0 mol% Tm3+‐doped and 0.5 mol% Tm3+/1.0 mol% Ho3+‐codoped TBZLN glasses are higher compared with the reported and are found to be excellent candidates for solid‐state lasers operating at ~1.8 and 2.0 μm, respectively. The extension of near‐infrared (NIR) emission of Tm3+ with Ho3+ ions provides the possibility of using these materials for broadband NIR amplifiers.