Sensitization effect between Ln3+ ions in zinc fluoride glasses for MIR applications.

Abstract A system of zinc fluoride glasses were synthesized to analyse the sensitization mechanism between doped Ln3+ ions under 808 or 980 nm excitation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve and Raman spectra indicate the favourable thermal stability and a low maximum phonon energy of the host. Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory together with the absorption spectra were utilized to compute the Ω t for predicting radiative features of each sample which coincide with the later measured emission spectra. Broadband emission ranging from 2400 to 3300 nm with a half-width of 361 nm in Er3+/Dy3+ codoped zinc fluoride glasses under 980 nm pumping has been investigated, which may be applicated in mid-infrared fiber amplifier and broadband tunable lasers field. On the other hand, the efficient sensitization effect mechanism between Er3+ and Dy3+ around 3 μm band with an extremely high energy transfer efficiency Ƞ (96.1%) of Er3+:4I 13/2 →Dy:6H 11/2 has been researched under 808 nm excitation. Hence, Er3+ and Dy3+ doped zinc fluoride glasses may be potential optical candidates of great development foreground in the fields of mid-infrared applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]