Near infrared to visible upconversion of Er in CaZrO3/CaSZ eutectic crystals with ordered lamellar microstructure

In this work we report the near infrared to visible upconversion luminescence of Er³⁺ ions in CaZrO₃/CaSZ eutectic crystals with ordered lamellar microstructure. The microstructure consists of alternating 2-μm-thick lamellae of calcia-stabilized zirconia (CaSZ) and calcium zirconate (CaZrO₃) single crystals. Er³⁺ ions enter both phases but at a higher concentration in CaSZ. Wavelength selective excitation along the ⁴I_15/2→⁴I_9/2 absorption band allows to distinguish the upconverted emission from Er³⁺ sites in the two eutectic phases. In the CaZrO₃ phase the upconversion emission spectrum is dominated by an intense green emission characterized by sharp (²H_11/2,⁴S_3/2) levels together with a more weak red emission from ⁴F_9/2 level. In the CaSZ phase, a broad green and red emissions occur with an enhancement of the red emission from level ⁴F_9/2. These upconverted emissions are attributed to a two photon process. The excitation wavelength dependence of the upconverted luminescence together with its time evolution after infrared pulsed excitation suggest that energy transfer upconversion processes are responsible for the upconversion luminescence.