Highly efficient broadband near-infrared luminescence in Ni2+-doped glass ceramics films containing cordierite nanocrystals

We report on highly efficient broadband near-infrared photoluminescence (PL) in Ni2+-doped glass ceramics (GCs) films fabricated by annealing Si/Ni2+-doped glass superlattices (SNGS). Over two orders of magnitude enhancement of PL can be achieved in comparison with that from the annealed glass film. The PL lifetime of the annealed SNGS is several milliseconds, which is much longer than those of bulk GCs. The strong PL enhancement results from the formation of high-quality cordierite nanocrystals because the Si layers act as Si source for the crystal growth. This technique can be extended to fabricate other types of high-quality GCs films. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.