Enhanced 1.53 μm radiative transition in Er3+/Ce3+ co-doped tellurite glass modified by B2O3 oxide.

Er 3+ /Ce 3+ co-doped and B 2 O 3 modified tellurite glasses with initial composition of TeO 2 –GeO 2 –Li 2 O–Nb 2 O 5 were prepared using melt-quenching technique for potential applications in Er 3+ -doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) and lasers. The absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, up-conversion spectra, Raman spectra and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) curves of glass samples were measured to evaluate the effect of B 2 O 3 modification on the 1.53 μm band spectroscopic properties of Er 3+ , structural nature and thermal stability of glass hosts. It was shown that the introduction of an appropriate amount of B 2 O 3 oxide can further improve the 1.53 μm band fluorescence emission through an enhanced phonon-assisted energy transfer (ET) from Er 3+ to Ce 3+ ions under the excitation of 980 nm, and the quantitative studies were carried out to elucidate the ET mechanism via calculating the microscopic parameters and phonon contribution ratios. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of glass hosts increases slightly with the introduction of B 2 O 3 oxide. Furthermore, the 1.53 μm band optical signal amplification was simulated based on the rare-earth ion rate and light power propagation equations. An increment in signal gain by about 1.4 dB at 1532 nm was observed in the Er 3+ /Ce 3+ co-doped tellurite glass fiber containing 6 mol% amount of B 2 O 3 oxide, and the maximum signal gain reaches to 31 dB on a 50 cm fiber pumped at 980 nm with power 200 mW. The present results indicate that the prepared Er 3+ /Ce 3+ co-doped tellurite glass modified by an appropriate amount of B 2 O 3 oxide has good prospect as a gain medium applied for 1.53 μm band EDFAs and lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]