Broadband near-IR emission from cubic perovskite KZnF3:Ni2+ nanocrystals embedded glass-ceramics

Transparent KF-ZnF2-SiO2 glass-ceramics were prepared with the precipitation of KZnF3:Ni2+ nanocrystals. During excitation with a wavelength of 405 nm at room temperature, a broadband near-IR emission centered at 1695 nm with the FWHM of more than 350 nm was observed, which is originated from the T-3(2g)(F-3) -> (3)A(2g)(F-3) transition of octahedral Ni2+ incorporated in the KZnF3 crystalline phase. In comparison to oxide glass-ceramics, a redshift of the luminescence is observed, which is due to the low crystal field of these octahedral Ni2+. The shift and extension of near-IR emission in the KZnF3:Ni2+ nanocrystals embedded in a glassy matrix do not only complete the broadband emission in the whole near-IR region for the Ni2+ ions-based photonics, but also open an easy way to approach the broadband optical amplifier and tunable lasers operating in the wavelength region near 1800 nm, which was up to now achieved by codoping of several types of active ions. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America