Erbium doping into silicate glasses to form luminescent optical layers for photonics applications

Here we summarise results of our research on the Er-containing thin surface layers in the silicate glasses and on the effect of the layers’ composition on their luminescence properties (emission at 1535 nm) in the wavelength region widely used in photonics. The optical layers were fabricated by Er³⁺ (melt)⇔Li⁺/Na⁺ (glass substrate) ion exchange in the specially designed Li₂O containing silicate glasses using various conditions (including annealing of the samples) to obtain a set of layers with diverse distribution of the Er³⁺ ions. Changes in the chemical composition of the prepared layers were suggested to avoid the concentration quenching effect and to improve their luminescence properties; special attention was paid to presence of hydrogen in the layers that may decrease the emission intensity. Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy and Elastic Recoil Detection were used to obtain detailed information on migration of erbium and hydrogen through the glass matrix, respectively. Photoluminescence spectra of the fabricated samples were measured (excitation at 980 nm) to examine the desired emission around 1535 nm.