Visible and near infrared luminescence properties of Er3+-doped LBTAF glasses for optical amplifiers

Trivalent erbium doped lead borate titanate aluminum fluoride (LBTAFEr) glasses of molar composition (50-x)PbO center dot 30H(3)BO(3)center dot 10TiO(2)center dot 10AIF(3)center dot xEr(2)O(3) were prepared and characterized applying the Judd-Ofelt theory. The visible and near infrared luminescence spectra obtained by exciting the samples at 486 nm (xenon source) and 514.5 nm (Ar+ laser) radiations exhibit (H-2(11/2), (4)s(3/2)) -> I-4(15/2) (547 nm) and I-4(13/2) -> I-4(15/2) (1.53 mu m) transitions, respectively. Thermalization of the two emitting H-2(11/2) and S-4(3/2) states is taken into account in calculating the significant radiative properties. The intensity parameters are used to calculate the transition probabilities, luminescence branching ratios, radiative decay times and emission cross-sections for the observed emission bands. The McCumber theory has been applied to evaluate the emission cross-section using the absorption cross-section of the I-4(13/2) -> I-4(15/2) transition of Er3+ ion. The decay profiles of the (H-2(11/2), S-4(3/2)) emission state were recorded and analyzed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.