SPECTROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION ON THE PROPERTIES OF VISIBLE AND NEAR INFRARED EMISSIONS IN Tm3+, Ho3+ Co-DOPED YVO4 CRYSTALS

With the help of absorption and fluorescence spectra, the spectroscopic properties of Tm³⁺, Ho³⁺:YVO₄ crystals have been investigated under different dopant concentrations. The absorption results show that the maximum absorption in the spectral range of currently available powerful laser diodes (LD) is at 796 nm, corresponding to the transition ³H₆→³H₄ of Tm³⁺ in the crystals. Upon the excitation with a LD at 808 nm, we have detected ten fluorescence bands in the spectral range spanning from visible to infrared. In visible region 4 upconversion bands have been observed centered at 475, 547, 660, and 701 nm. Discussions of the energy transfer processes suggest that cross relaxations and excited absorptions with the involvement of Tm^{3+ 3}F₄, ³H₅ and Ho^{3+ 7}I₅ states are responsible for the four upconversion emissions. Comprising the relative integrated intersities of 2 μm (Ho³⁺: ⁵I₇→⁵I₈) and 1.8 μm (Tm³⁺: ³F_4→³H₆) bands we have observed an efficient energy transfer from Tm³⁺ (³F₄) to Ho³⁺ (⁵I₇). Examination of the ratios of the intensity of 2 μm band to that of 1.8 μm band as a function of the ratios of Tm³⁺ concentration (c_Tm) to Ho³⁺ concentration (c_Ho) indicates that small concentration ratios (c_Tm/c_Ho) lead to high efficient energy transfers of Tm³⁺(³F₄)→Ho³⁺(⁵I₇).