Photoluminescence of an Yb3+/Al3+-codoped microstructured optical fibre

An Yb 3+ /Al 3+-codoped microstructured optical fibre is prepared based on photonic crystal fibre technology.The characteristic spectra of preforms and fibres are experimentally investigated.The results show that under a 971 nm excitation,besides the known infrared fluorescence luminescence around 1050 nm,a blue luminescence peak at 486 nm is obtained.Moreover,an unexpected emission peak at 730 nm is also observed.The photoluminescence mechanism of an Yb 3+ /Al 3+-codoped microstructured optical fibre is discussed.The emission peak at 486 nm is attributed to the cooperative upconversion resulting from pairs of Yb 3+ ions,and the emission peak around 730 nm is ascribed to the stimulated Raman scattering because of nonlinear effects of microstructured optical fibre.The Yb 3+ /Al 3+-codoped microstructured optical fibre is promising for varieties of applications from laser printing and optical recording to cancer treatments,such as photodynamic therapy.     

Efficient Fibre Amplifiers Based on a Highly Er3＋/Yb3＋ Codoped Phosphate Glass-Fibre

Highly Er3＋ /yb3＋-codoped single-mode phosphate glass fibre is fabricated by the rod-in-tube technique. The performances of high-concentration Er3＋ /yb3＋-codoped phosphate glass fibre amplifiers are investigated and discussed. An efficient optical fibre amplifier with a gain of 12.6 dB based on a 3.0 cm long Era＋ /ybe＋-codoped phosphate glass fibre is demonstrated under a dual-pump configuration with two 976 nm fibre-pigtail laser diodes, which make it attractive for compact Er3＋-doped fibre amplifiers. The obtedned noise figures of signal wavelength from 1525 to 1565nm are less than 6.0dB. Gain saturation behaviour at 1535nm is also investigated, and the obtained saturation output power is larger than 10 dBm.     

Broadband Infrared Luminescence from Bismuth-Doped GeS2--Ga2S3 Chalcogenide Glasses

Near-infrared luminescence is observed from bismuth-doped GeS2-Ga2Sa chalcogenide glasses excited by an 808 nm laser diode. The emission peak with a maximum at about 1260 nm is observed in 80GeS2-2OGa2 Sa：O.fBi glass and it shifts toward the long wavelength with the addition of Bi gradually. The full width of half maximum （FWHM） is about 200 nm. The broadband infrared luminescence of Bi-doped GeS2-Ga2Sa chalcogenide glasses may be predominantly originated from the low valence state of Bi, such as Bi＋. Raman scattering is also conducted to claxify the structure of glasses. These Bi-doped GeS2 Ga2Sa chalcogenide glasses can be applied potentially in novel broadband optical fibre amplifiers and broadly tunable laser in optical communication system.     

Broadband Infrared Luminescence of Ni^2＋ in Petalite-Type Transparent Glass Ceramics

Transparent Ni^2＋-doped magnesium aluminosilicate glass ceramics are prepared. The formation of petalite-type crystallites in the glass ceramics is confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Broadband infrared luminescence centred at around 1235nm with full width at half maximum （FWHM） of about 300nm is observed from the Ni^2＋-doped glass ceramics. The observed infrared emission could be attributed to the ^3T2（F） → ^3A2（F） transition of octahedral Ni^2＋ ions in petalite-type crystallites. Theproduct of the fluorescence lifetime and the stimulated emission cross sections is 1.2 ×10-24 cm^2s.     

VUV/UV/X-Ray Excited Luminescent Properties of Eu^3＋ and Pr^3＋ Doped BiSbO4

Absorption spectra of BiSbO4 are studied. The electronic structure calculated by the DFT shows that BiSbO4 is a semiconductor, with direct band gap 2.96 eV, which is consistent with UV-visible diffuse reflectance experiment. The host lattice emission band is located at 440 nm under VUV excitation. Eu^3＋ and Pr^3＋ doped samples have high luminescence efficiency in emitting red and green light, respectively. From the partial density of states, Eu^3＋ doped emitting spectrum, and the host crystal structure parameters, the relationship between structure and optical properties is discussed. It is found that the Eu^3＋ ions occupied Bi^3＋ sites, and there could be an energy transfer from Bi^3＋ ions to RE^3＋ ions.     

Transparent Ni^2＋-Doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 Glass Ceramics with Broadband Infrared Luminescence

We report on transparent Ni^2＋-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass ceramics with broadband infrared luminescence. Ni^2＋-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass is prepared by using the conventional method. After heat treatment at high temperature, MgAl2O4 crystallites are precipitated, and their average size is about 4.3 nm. No luminescence is detected in the as-prepared glass sample, while broadband infrared luminescence centred at around 1315 nm with full width at half maximum （FWHM） of about 300 nm is observed from the glass ceramics. The observed infrared emission could be attributed to the ^3T2g（^3F）→^3A2g（^3F） transition of octahedral Ni^2＋ ions in the MgAl2O4 crystallites of the transparent glass ceramics. The product of the fluorescence lifetime and the stimulated emission cross section is about 1.6×10^-24 s cm^2.     

Lasing Characteristics of Tm^3＋：Ho^3＋ Codoped Silica Fibre Laser Pumped by 1.18-μm Raman Fibre Laser

The fundamental characteristics of Fabry-Perot-cavity continuous-wave Tm-Ho codoped silica fibre lasers pumped by a 1.18μm Raman fibre laser are presented. A maximum output power of 930mW at 1880nm is generated for a fibre length of 1 m from the transition of Tm^3 , with a slope efficiency of 32.4%. For a 3-m-long fibre, the maximum output power decreases to 650 mW at 1960 nm due to the laser emission from Ho^3 with a lower slope efficiency of 25%, which clearly shows the effective energy transfer from Tm^3 to Ho^3 . The wavelength redshifting of the laser emission originates from the transition competition and the emission cross section difference between Tm^3 and Ho^3 .     

Blue Upconversion Luminescence in Tm^3＋／Yb^3＋-Codoped Lead Chloride Tellurite Glass

The upconversion properties of Tm^3 /Yb3 -codoped lead chloride tellurite glass under 980hm excitation were investigated. The intense blue (476nm) emission and weak red (649 nm) emission corresponding to the ^1G4→4 ^3H6 and ^1G4→^3H4 transitions of Tm^3 ions, respectively, were simultaneously observed at room temperature. The dependence of upconversion intensities on excitation power and the possible upconversion mechanisms are evaluated. The intense blue upconversion luminescence of Tm^3 /Yb^3 -codoped lead chloride tellurite glass can be used as potential host material for the development of blue upconversion optical devices.     

Influences of Mg^2＋ ion on dopant occupancy and upconversion luminescence of Ho^3＋ ion in LiNbO3 crystal

The effects of a Mg^2＋ ion on the dopant occupancy and upconversion luminescence of a Ho^3＋ ion in LiNbO3 crystal are reported. The birefringence gradient of the crystal is measured to investigate the optical homogeneity. The X-ray powder diffraction spectrum and the upconversion luminescence are used to investigate defect structure and spectroscopic properties of Mg,Ho：LiNbO3. Under 808-nm excitation, blue, red, and very intense yellow-green bands are observed. Based on the energy levels of Ho^3＋ in LiNbO3, and the pump intensity dependence of the observed emission, an excitation scheme is presented. The upconversion emission spectra reveal an enhancement of upconversion intensity when the Mg^2＋ ions are introduced into Ho：LiNbO3. The main upconversion mechanism is discussed in this work.     

Characterization of Amplified Spontaneous Emission from Er^3＋-Doped Tellurite Fibre

We present the characterization of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from newly fabricated Er^3 -doped tellurite fibres.When pumped at 98Ohm,a very broad erbium ASE in the range 1450-1650nm is observed.The changes of ASE with regard to fibre lengths and pumping power were measured.The output of 2mW from an Er^3 -doped tellurite fibre ASE source is obtained with the pump power of 540mW.     

Optical transitions in Er^3＋ doped lead germanate glasses

Er^{3+}- and Er^{3+}/Yb^{3+}-doped lead germanate glasses that are suitable for use in fibre lasers and optical amplifiers as well as optical waveguide devices have been fabricated and characterized. The absorption spectra from near-infrared to visible were obtained and the Judd－Ofelt parameters were determined from the absorption band. Intense and broad 1.53μm infrared fluorescence and visible upconversion luminescence were observed under 976 nm diode laser excitation. For 1.53μm emission band, the full widths at half-maximum are 36, 37, 51 nm for GPE, GPYE and GPFE samples, respectively. For frequency upconversion emission, the intense bands centred at around 524, 545, 657nm are due to the {}^4S_{3/2}+{}^2H_{11/2}→{}^4I_{15/2} and {}^4F_{9/2}→{}^4I_{15/2} transitions of Er^{3+} ions. The quadratic dependence of the green and red emissions on excitation power indicates that the two-photon absorption process occurs under the 976nm excitation.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Vacuum Ultraviolet-Excited Luminescence Properties of Novel Dy^3＋-doped GdPO4 White Light Phosphors

Novel Dy^3＋-doped GdPO4 white light phosphors with a monoclinic system are successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method at 240℃. The strong absorption at around 147nm in the excitation spectrum is assigned to the host absorption. It is suggested that the vacuum ultraviolet excited energy is transferred from the host to the Dy^3＋ ions. The f - d transition of the Dy^3＋ ion is observed to be located at 182nm, which is consistent with the calculated value using Dorenbos＇s expression. Under 147nm excitation, Gd0.92PO4：0.08Dy^3＋ phosphor exhibits two emission bands located at 572 nm （yellow） and 478 nm （blue）, which correspond to the hypersensitive transitions ^4 F9/2-^6 H13/2 and ^4 F9/2-^6 H15/2. The two emission bands lead to the white light. Because of the strong absorption at about 147nm, Gd0.92PO4：0.08Dy^3＋ under vacuum ultraviolet excitation is an effective white light phosphor, and has promising applications to mercury-free lamps.     

Blue-to-Orange Tunable Luminescence from Europium Doped Yttrium--Silicon--Oxide--Nitride Phosphors

Europium-doped yttrium-silicon-oxide-nitride phosphors are synthesized by carbothermal reduction and nitridation method. The crystal structure of the phosphors changed gradually from oxide Y2Si2O7 to nitride YSi3N5 state with increasing dosage of Si3N4 and carbon powder. The Y2Si2O7：Eu phosphor shows a blue emission at 465 nm with 300 nm excitation and a characteristic red emission of Eu^3＋ at 612 nm with 230 nm excitation. The YSi3N5：EU phosphor shows a broad emission band centred at 595nm with some sharp peaks of Eu^3＋ with 325nm excitation. The absorption of the studied phosphors increases from 450 to 700hm with an increment in nitrogen content. Blue-to-orange tunable luminescence is observed with 390 nm excitation.     

Blue Luminescent Properties of Silicon Nanowires Grown by a Solid-Liquid-Solid Method

Silicon nanowires （SiNWs） were grown directly from n-（111） single-crystal silicon （c-Si） substrate based on a solid- liquid-solid mechanism, and Au film was used as a metallic catalyst. The room temperature photoluminescence properties of SiNWs were observed by an Xe lamp with an exciting wavelength of 350 nm. The results show that the SiNWs exhibit a strongly blue luminescent band in the wavelength range 40-480 nm at an emission peak position of 420 nm. The luminescent mechanism of SiNWs indicates that the blue luminescence is attributed to the oxygen-related defects, which are in SiOx amorphous oxide shells around the crystalline core of SiNWs.     

Energy transfer relation of a novel Ce3＋/Pr3＋/Eu3＋ co-doped Sr2.975-xLaxAIO4＋xF1-x solid solution phosphor

The photoluminescence properties and energy transfer of a new Ce3＋/pr3＋/Eu3＋ co-doped solid-solution composi- tion of Sr2.975-xLaxAlO4＋xF1-x （LSAF） phosphor are investigated. Upon doping Pr3＋ into lattices of LSAF：Ce host, a shoulder emission peak is observed at about 620 nm, owing to the transition of 1D2 →3H4. Addition of Eu3＋ to LSAF：Ce3＋, Pr3＋ phosphor results in a sharp emission peaked at 675 nm for the 5D0 →TF3 transition and an increase of the intensity of red emission for Pr3＋ with increasing Eu3＋ concentration. The pathways of energy transfer among Ce3＋, Pr3＋, and Eu3＋ are proposed to be responsible for color addition of a red component to the primary yellow emission, enabling a potential adjustable color for blue excitable warm white.     

Fibre-Format Photonic Source Based on Efficient Frequency Doubling of Continuous-Wave Erbium-Fibre Laser Amplifier

We demonstrate a compact photonic device based on efficient and wavelength-tunable doubling of an all fibreformat source. Quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation in periodically poled lithium niobate is used to generate 90.6 m W at 775.9 nm with a single-pass conversion efficiency of 14.7%. A t uning bandwidth of 2.1 nm and a tuning temperature range of 150.6 ± 1.7℃ can be achieved. The Er-doped seed fibre source is amplified by a clad-pumped Er^3＋/Yb^3＋-codoped fibre laser with a high output power up to 2.18 W over a tunable wavelength range from 1535nm to 1570nm.     

Laser Characteristics of Cladding-Pumped Short Er^3＋/yb^3＋ Codoped Single Mode Phosphate Glass Fibre

We experimentally investigate the laser characteristics of a series of short pieces of newly-developed Er^3＋/ Yb^3＋ codoped single mode phosphate glass fibres via the cladding pump of a 976nm multimode laser diode. A stable continuous-wave single transverse mode laser with over 85 m W at 1553nm is generated from a 5.5-em-long active fibre. Single mode laser output power per unit length is up to 15 mW/cm. Moreover, the slope efficiency is 11.8% when the pump power is below 940mW and the 3dB linewidth is 0.06nm at the maximum pump power. The numerical simulation results show that the laser emission slope efficiency can exceed 20% by means of increasing the coupling efficiency of the pump to the fibre core further.     

Enhanced NIR emission in Ce^3＋/Er^3＋-doped YAG induced by Bi^3＋ doping

Ce^3＋/Er^3＋/Bi^3＋ triply-doped yttrium aluminum garnet （YAG） is synthesized using co-precipitation method. The Bi^3＋ concentration-dependent near-infrared （NIR） emission behavior is systemically in- vestigated. The NIR emission of Er^3＋ ions at 1531 nm is enhanced threefold by the addition of 7 mol% Bi^3＋. Bi^3＋doping results in the formation of exciton in YAG and the variation in the local environment of the doped rare-earth ions. The enhancement in NIR luminescence is ascribed to the combined effects of the sensitization of exciton→Ce^3＋ →Er^3＋ and the Bi^3＋ doping-induced adjustment of the local environment for Ce^3＋ and Er^3＋ ions.     

Flat Supercontinuum Generation at 1550 nm in a Dispersion-Flattened Microstructure Fibre Using Picosecond Pulse

The generation of a flat supercontinuum of over 80nm in the 1550nm region by injecting 1.6ps 10 GHz repetition rate optical pulses into an 80-m-long dispersion-flattened microstructure fibre is demonstrated. The fibre has small normal dispersion with a variation smaller than 1.5 （ps·nm^-1·km^-1） between 1500 and 1650nm. The generated supercontinuum ranging from 1513 to 1591 nm has the flatness of ±1.5 dB and it is not so flat in the range of several nanometres around the pump wavelength 1552nm. Numerical simulation is also used to study the effect of optical loss, fibre parameters and pumping conditions on supercontinuum generation in the dispersion-flattened microstructure fibre, and can be used for further optimization to generate flat broad spectra.     

Intensities and spectral features of the ~4I_(13/2)-~4I_(15/2) potential laser transition of Er~(3+) centers in CaF_2-CeF_3 disordered crystal

A CaF_2-CeF_3 disordered crystal containing 1.06% of Er~(3+) ions was grown by the temperature gradient technique.Optical absorption and emission spectra recorded at room temperature and at 10 K, luminescence decay curve recorded at room temperature, and extended x-ray-absorption fine structure spectra were analyzed with an intention to assess the laser potential related to the ~4I_(13/2)→~4I_(15/2) transition of Er~(3+). In addition, the thermal diffusivity of the crystal was measured at room temperature. The analysis of room-temperature spectra revealed that the ~4I_(13/2) emission is long-lived with a radiative lifetime value of 5.5 ms, peak emission cross section of 0.73 × 10~(-20) cm~2, and large spectral width pointing at the tunability of the emission wavelength in the region stretching from approximately 1480 nm to 1630 nm. The energies of the crystal field components for the ground and excited multiplets determined from low-temperature absorption and emission spectra made it possible to predict successfully the spectral position and shape of the room-temperature ~4I_(13/2)→~4I_(15/2) emission band. Based on the correlation of the optical spectra and dynamics of the luminescence decay, it was concluded that in contrast to Yb~(3+) ions in heavily doped CaF_2 erbium ions in the CaF_2-CeF_3 crystal reside in numerous sites with dissimilar relaxation rates.