Ultra-broadband and enhanced near-infrared emission in Bi/Er co-doped PbF2 laser crystal

A Bi/Er co-doped PbF2 laser crystal was successfully grown. The use of Er3+ co-doping for enhancing the near-infrared emission in Bi/Er co-doped single crystal was obtained for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The results show that compared with the single Bi-doped crystal, in Bi/Er co-doped PbF2 crystal, Er3+ can act as an effective charge compensation ion to promote the conversion from Bi2+ to Bi+, which would effectively enhance the NIR fluorescence emission of the Bi/Er doubly doped PbF2 crystal. Besides, it was demonstrated that two different Bi-related active centers (Bi (I) and Bi (II)) located around the NIR fluorescence emission peak of 1015 and 1080 nm. The results above strongly suggest that Bi/Er co-doped laser crystal may be an attractive gain host for developing NIR solid-state lasers. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The successful growth of a Bi/Er co-doped PbF2 laser crystal demonstrated enhanced near-infrared emission through Er3+ co-doping, suggesting potential for developing NIR solid-state lasers. The presence of two distinct Bi-related active centers around 1015 and 1080 nm further supports this conclusion.