Rare Earth Photoluminescence in Bismuth-Germanate Crystals

In the present work, the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of bismuth germanate (BGO) doped with trivalent rare earth element (REE) ions with different doping concentrations (0.03 wt% Eu, 0.4 wt% Tm, and 1.1 wt% Nd) are reported in the temperature range from 10 to 300 K using different detectors, namely, photomultiplier tube (PMT), InGaAs (IGA), and Si. The luminescence in the NIR region was also measured at room temperature. Two broad emission bands attributed to undoped BGO were found at circa 1350 and 1800 nm, respectively. The broad-band emissions are replaced by narrow-band line emissions defined by the trivalent rare earth dopants. The emission spectra from rare earth ion–doped BGO extend from 500 to 2000 nm. Rare earth ions act as the dominant recombination centers and define the emission spectra. This is interpreted as resulting from direct charge transfer from intrinsic defect traps to rare earth recombination centers. The temperature-dependent luminescence of BGO doped with 0.4 wt% Tm is also presented.