Fabrication and luminescence properties of Er3+ doped yttrium lanthanum oxide transparent ceramics

Er3+ doped yttrium lanthanum oxide transparent ceramics were fabricated by the conventional ceramics processing and their luminescence properties were investigated. The ceramics displayed high transparency and uniform grains without pores. Under the excitation of 980 nm laser diode, intense green and red up-conversion luminescences were observed due to H-2(11/2)/S-4(3/2)-> I-4(15/2) and F-4(9/2)-> I-4(15/2) transitions of Er3+ ions, respectively. 2 at% Er3+:(Y0.9La0.1)(2)O-3 ceramics had longer fluorescence lifetime and the emission cross-sections (sigma(em)) at 1536 nm was calculated to be 5.87 x 10(-21) cm(-2), while it was 6.83 x 10(-21) cm(-2) for 1 at% Er3+:(Y0.9La0.1)(2)O-3 ceramics. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.