Growth of silver nano-particle embedded in tellurite glass: Interaction between localized surface plasmon resonance and Er3+ ions

In this paper we show a systematic study of the growth of silver nano-particles (NPs) embedded in an Erbium-doped tellurite glass with annealing time, aiming to a photoluminescence enhancement. The results indicate an improved or quenching of the photoluminescence due to an energy transfer mechanism in the coupling between NP's electric dipoles and Er+3 transitions (S-4(3/2) -> I-4(15/2), F-4(9/2) -> I-4(15/2) and I-4(13/2) -> I-4(15/2)). (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.