Enhanced MIR emission of Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped fluorochloride glass with energy transfer and MIR light source application

Abstract The novel Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped fluorochloride glasses with good luminescent properties in the infrared region have been prepared. The middle infrared (MIR) luminescence of fluorochloride glasses is improved by anion substitution and rare-earth ion co-doping strategy. The chloridion doping reduces the phonon state density of the host matrix significantly. The ytterbium ions co-doping promotes the effective energy transfer of Yb 3+ : 2 F 5/2 → Er 3+ : 4 I 11/2 . The Ω 2 value of samples increases with the introduction of Yb 3+ , which means great asymmetry and strong covalency. The emission cross-section area σ em (1.06 × 10 −20 cm 2 ) and the absorption cross-sectional area σ abs (0.97 × 10 −20 cm 2 ) of Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped sample are all larger than that in the previous report. The fluorescence decay characteristics of samples at 980 nm and 1550 nm were investigated. In addition, a MIR light source was prepared preliminarily. Therefore, Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped fluorochloride glass is a potential MIR laser material.