Enhanced mid-infrared emissions of Er3+ at 2.7 μm via Nd3+ sensitization in chalcohalide glass

Nd(3+) sensitized Er(3+):(4)I(13/2) mid-IR emissions around 2.7 μm were investigated in the transparent Ga(2)S(3)-GeS(2)-CsCl chalcohalide glasses for the first time. Remarkably, it is found that Nd(3+) greatly enhances Er(3+) 2.7 μm emission by a maximal 20 times, and depopulates the lower level of Er(3+):(4)I(13/2) for population inversion. Based on Judd-Ofelt theory, the 2.7 μm emission cross section is calculated (as high as 0.66×10(-20) cm(2)) and the gain property of the Er(3+):(4)I(11/2)→(4)I(13/2) transition is discussed. Hopefully, the materials studied here may find potential applications in the fields of fiber amplifiers and mid-IR lasers.     

Intense 2.7 μm and broadband 2.0 μm emission from diode-pumped Er3+/Tm3+/Ho(3+)-doped fluorophosphate glass

This Letter reports intense emission at 2.7 μm and broadband emission at 2.0 μm from Er(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+)-doped fluorophosphate glass. The fluorescence characteristics and energy transfer upon excitation of a conventional 980 nm laser diode are investigated. Based on the fluorescence spectra and lifetime measurement, the effect of Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) ions on intense 2.7 μm emission in fluorophosphate glass is demonstrated. It is also found that the effective bandwidth of 2.0 μm emission due to Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) ions can reach as high as 196 nm. These results indicate that the advantageous spectroscopic characteristics of Er(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) triply doped fluorophosphate glass together with the outstanding thermal properties may become an attractive host for the mid-IR solid state lasers.     

Sensitizing effect of Nd3＋ on the Er3＋： 2.7 μm-emission in fluorophosphate glass

Nd3+ strengthens the Er3+:2.7-μm emission 104 times in fluorophosphate glass;in addition,it can also decrease its upconversion effects and the 1.5-μm emission accordingly.Cross-relaxation process is the principal transition mechanism in this codoping system.Compared with Er3+ singly doped glass,JO parameters along with the Arad,β,τR values of Er3+ change markedly in Er3+:Nd3+ codoped glass because Nd3+ greatly in?uences the local environment around Er3+.Results also show that Nd3+ has a good 4I13/2 lifetime quenching effect as well as thermal load reduction ability for Er3+:2.7-μm emission.     

Efficient high-power continuous wave Er:Lu2O3 laser at 2.85 μm

We report on crystal growth, spectroscopy, thermal conductivity and (4)I(11/2)→(4)I(13/2)-laser performance of Er:Lu(2)O(3). Pumping with an optically pumped semiconductor laser at 971 nm, 1.4 W of cw output power with a slope efficiency of ～36% at 2.85 μm was obtained at room temperature. This exceeds the Stokes efficiency due to an upconversion process recycling population of the lower laser level back into the upper laser level, yielding the highest efficiency of any Er-sesquioxide laser around 3 μm. Under diode pumping, 5.9 W of output power with 27% of slope efficiency was achieved with an M(2) of 1.2 to 1.4.     

A 1.54 μm Er glass laser pumped by a 1.064 μm Nd:YAG laser

Laser oscillation in Er-glass, co-doped with Yb sensitiser, has been achieved by pumping with the 1.064 μm output of a Nd:YAG laser.     

Near-ultraviolet Upconversion Luminescence in CaF2∶ Yb3+, Er3 + Nanocrystals

研究了Er3+和Yb3+共掺杂的CaF2纳米材料的制备及其紫外上转换发光性质.在980 nm二极管激光器激发下,该材料可发出相对较强的紫外和绿色双色上转换发光.研究了敏化离子Yb3+以及发光中心离子Er3+掺杂量对该材料紫外上转换发光相对强度的影响,并进一步对该材料紫外上转换发光增强的可能机制进行了探讨.     

Yb:CaF2–YF3 transparent ceramics ultrafast laser at dual gain lines

Yb³⁺:CaF₂-YF₃ transparent ceramics with excellent optical quality was successfully fabricated by hot-pressed method. Pulsed laser properties of this ceramics were investigated for the first time. Laser diode (LD) was applied as the pump source to generate a dual-wavelength mode-locked (ML) laser. The maximum average output power was 310 mW, which represents the highest output power of ultrafast calcium fluoride ceramic laser. The spectrum separated at 1048.9 nm and 1049.7 nm with a total pulse duration of 8.9 ps. The interval period between the beating signals was about 4.3 ps, corresponding to a 0.23 THz beat pulse repetition rate. These results demonstrate its potential in producing dual-wavelength ultrashort pulses. These Yb³⁺:CaF₂-YF₃ ceramics with low-cost and short-preparation period are ideal candidate materials for ultrafast lasers.     

Efficient Cr3+ sensitized Nd3+: GdScGa-garnet laser at 1.06 μm

Room-temperature cw lasing at 1.061 m has been obtained in Cr,Nd: GdScGa-garnet. Threshold powers as low as 7 mW and slope efficiencies up to 41% have been measured. Cross pumping of Nd³⁺ via Cr³⁺ is nearly as efficient as direct pumping. Time-resolved measurements of the transfer rate yield a transfer efficiency of 0.86 and an average transfer time of 17 s. An improvement in pulsed broad band pumping can also be expected.     

Watt-level ~2 μm laser output in Tm3+-doped tungsten tellurite glass double-cladding fiber

We report, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, a watt level cw fiber laser at ~2 μm from a piece of 40-cm-long newly developed highly thulium-doped (3.76 × 10(20) ions/cm(3)) tungsten tellurite glass double cladding fiber pumped by a commercial 800 nm laser diode. The maximum output power of the fiber laser reaches 1.12 W. The slope efficiency and the optical-optical efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump are 20% and 16%, respectively. The lasing threshold is 1.46 W, and the lasing wavelength is centered at 1937 nm.     

12 W Q-switched Er:ZBLAN fiber laser at 2.8 μm

A diode-pumped, actively Q-switched 2.8 μm fiber laser oscillator with an average output power of more than 12 W has been realized through the use of a 35 μm core erbium-doped ZBLAN fiber and an acousto-optic modulator; to our knowledge, this is the first 3 μm pulsed fiber laser in the 10 W class. Pulse energy up to 100 μJ and pulse duration down to 90 ns, corresponding to a peak power of 0.9 kW, were achieved at a repetition rate of 120 kHz.     

2.1 μm waveguide laser fabricated by femtosecond laser direct-writing in Ho3+, Tm3+:ZBLAN glass

We report the first Ho3+ doped waveguide laser, which was realized by femtosecond direct-writing of a depressed cladding structure into ZBLAN glass. Tm3+ sensitizing allows the 9 mm long Ho3+ gain medium to be conveniently pumped at 790 nm, achieving an optical-to-optical slope efficiency of 20% and a threshold of 20 mW. The potentially widely tunable laser produces up to 76 mW at 2052 nm and also operates at shorter wavelengths near 1880 nm and 1978 nm for certain cavity configurations.     

Efficient 2.7-μm emission in Er3＋-doped bismuth germanate glass pumped by 980-nm laser diode

An Er 3+-doped lead-free bismuth germanate glass is synthesized. Its 2.7-μm emission property is analyzed, and the efficient 2.7-μm emission from the glass is observed under 980-nm laser diode excitation. The prepared glass possesses high spontaneous transition probability (64.8 s 1 ) and a large calculated emission cross section (6.61×10 21 cm 2 ) corresponding to the 4I11/2→4I13/2 transition. The multiphonon relaxation rate for the excited state 4I11/2 is only 236 s 1 . Therefore, the excellent spectroscopic properties and outstanding thermal stability suggest that this glass is a suitable host for developing solid-state lasers operating in the mid-infrared.     

Dependence of Er:Yb-codoped 1.5 μm amplifier on wavelength-tuned auxiliary seed signal at 1 μm wavelength

We report on experiments performed with a cladding-pumped single-mode Er:Yb-codoped single-frequency fiber amplifier simultaneously seeded by a distributed-feedback diode at 1556 nm and a tunable external-cavity diode laser emitting at a wavelength of about 1 μm wavelength. The influence of the output wavelength of the external-cavity laser on amplification and reabsorption behavior of the Yb emission as well as the amplifier performance at a wavelength of 1556 nm is examined experimentally.     

Picosecond diode-pumped 1.5 μm Er,Yb:glass lasers operating at 10–100 GHz repetition rate

Stable ultrafast laser sources at multi-GHz repetition rates are important for various application areas, such as optical sampling, frequency comb metrology, or advanced high-speed return-to-zero telecom systems. We review SESAM-mode-locked Er,Yb:glass lasers operating in the 1.5 μm spectral region at multi-GHz repetition rates, discussing the key improvements that have enabled increasing the repetition rate up to 100 GHz. We also present further improved results with shorter pulse durations from a 100 GHz Er,Yb:glass laser. With an improved SESAM design we achieved 1.1 ps pulses with up to 30 mW average output power. Moreover, we discuss for the first time the importance of beam quality deteriorations arising from frequency-degenerate higher order spatial modes in such lasers.     

Fabrication, photoluminescence, and potential application in white light emitting diode of Dy3+–Tm3+ doped transparent glass ceramics containing GdSr2F7 nanocrystals

Dy³⁺–Tm³⁺ doped transparent glass ceramics containing GdSr₂F₇ nanocrystals were fabricated successfully by a melt-quenching method and subsequent heating. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses show that tetragonal GdSr₂F₇ nanocrystals are homogeneously precipitated among the borosilicate glass matrix. If excited with 354 nm UV light, the photoluminescence spectrum of Dy³⁺ single-doped transparent glass ceramics shows white-light emission. With doping of Tm³⁺, the overall emission color of Tm³⁺–Dy³⁺ co-doped transparent glass ceramics can be tuned from white to blue through energy transfer between Dy³⁺ and Tm³⁺. CIE chromaticity and color temperature measurements show that the resulting TGCS may be a candidate as a white LED material pumped by a UV InGaN chip.     

Enhanced 2.0 μm emission in Tm3+/Ho3+ codoped transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing β-PbF2 nano-crystals

Oxyfluoride glasses, 30.9SiO₂–15.5AlO_1.5–30.9PbF₂–22.7CdF₂–1.5TmF₃–xHoF₃ ($x=0.1,1,1.5$) (mol %), were prepared by traditional melt-quenching method. By appropriate heat treatment of the precursor glasses as described above, transparent glass ceramics were obtained with $\beta$- PbF₂ nano-crystals embedded in glassy matrix as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Optical absorption and 2.0 μm emission properties of the precursor glass and glass ceramic samples have been studied. Rare-earth ions were confirmed to enter into nano-crystals, by absorption spectra. The emission intensity in 2.0 μm region increased several times after crystallization, due to shortened distance between codopants and low phonon energy of the $\beta$- PbF₂ nano-crystals. Of the investigated samples, glass ceramic sample containing 1.5 mol% TmF₃ and 0.1 mol% HoF₃ has the broadest and the most efficient emission in 2.0 μm region. The Tm³⁺/Ho³⁺codoped oxyfluoride glass ceramics show potential applications in 2.0 μm laser devices.     

2 μm emission properties in Tm3+/Ho3+ codoped fluorophosphate glasses

New type of fluorophosphate glasses with different Tm³⁺/Ho³⁺ doping concentrations have been prepared. From the measured fluorescence spectra, strong emission near 2 μm is demonstrated in the samples. Based on the absorption spectra, the Judd–Ofelt parameters and radiative properties were calculated and compared with those of other glass hosts. Then for our prepared Tm³⁺/Ho³⁺ codoped fluorophosphate glass, the higher predicted spontaneous transition probability (76.54 s^?1) along with the larger calculated emission cross-section (6.15×10^?21 cm²) gives evidence of intense 2 μm fluorescence. Besides, it is found that the optimum doping concentration is 4 mol% Tm³⁺/1 mol% Ho³⁺ for the strongest 2 μm emission in our prepared samples.     

Continuous wave 1.6 μm laser action in Er doped garnets at room temperature⋆

We report on room-temperature cw laser action of Er³⁺: Yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) and Er³⁺: Yttrium-gallium-garnet (YGG) crystals at 1.64 m. The laser operates from the metastable⁴ I _13/2 manifold into an upper Stark level of the⁴ I _15/2 ground-state manifold of Er³⁺. Due to reabsorption losses, the Er³⁺ concentration of the laser crystals must be low. Laser pumping at a wavelength of 647.1 nm yields lowest thresholds around 30 mW and slope efficiencies up to 12.7% for Er:YAG. Laser operation in Er:YGG is achieved with higher thresholds of about 200 mW and smaller slope efficiencies of 0.9%. The effective emission cross section in YAG is estimated to be _e5×10^–21 cm².Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Herbert Welling on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Energy transfer mechanism in Er3＋ doped fluoride glass sensitized by Tm3＋ or no3＋ for 2.7-μm emission

Enhanced 2.7 μm emission is obtained in Er3＋/Tma＋ and Era＋/Ho3＋ codoped ZBYA glasses. Absorp- tion and emission spectra are tested to characterize the 2.7 μm emission properties of Era＋/Tm3＋ and Era＋/Ho3＋ doped ZBYA glasses and a reasonable energy transfer mechanism of 2.7 μm emission between Er3＋ and Tm3＋Ho3＋） ion is proposed. Codoping of Tm3＋ or Ho3＋ significantly reduces the lifetime of the Era＋： 4I13/2 level due to the energy transfer of Er3＋：4I13/2 →Tm3＋：3F4 or Er3＋：4I13/2 →Ho3＋： 5I7. Thus, the 2.7μm emission is strengthened and the 1,5μm emission is decreased accordingly especially in the Era＋/Tma＋ sample. The upconversion effects between the Er3＋/Tm3＋ and Er3＋/Ho3＋ doped ZBYA glasses are different attribute to the different energy transfer efficiencies. Both of the two codoped samples possess nearly equal large emission cross section （16.6 × 10 -21 cm-2） around 2.7 μm. The results indicate that this Er3＋/Tm3＋ or Er3＋/Ho3＋ doped ZBYA glass has potential applications in 2.7 μm laser.