Photoluminescence of copper ion exchange BK7 glass planar waveguides

Copper–alkali ion exchange technology was used to prepare BK7 glass planar waveguides. The photoluminescence spectra of the waveguides were studied with fluorescence spectrophotometer. It was observed that there were strong emission peaks at around 520 nm, which were strongly influenced by the ion-exchange times. Besides the time, the ion-exchange temperature was important factor as well, the higher ion-exchange temperature was found to bring a blue shift of emission spectra. The blue–green emission band originates from different transition mechanism of energy level. The spectroscopy features of copper within the glass host were also affected by the excitation wavelength, which resulted in a shift of the emission band peaks.