Up-conversion mechanisms in Er3+-doped fluoroindate glasses under 1550 nm excitation for enhancing photocurrent of crystalline silicon solar cell

In this work, Er3+-containing fluoroindate glasses were synthesized by the conventional melt-quenching method varying Er3+ content from 0.1 to 7 mol%. The series of fluoroindate glass were investigated according to their luminescent properties. Upon excitation at 1550 nm, all glass samples showed green, red and near-infrared emissions centered at 550, 667 and 978 nm. Energy transfer upconversion (ETU) is the main mechanism responsible for the upconverted emissions and involves neighbour erbium ions. The highest near-infrared emission intensity at 1000 nm is observed for the glass sample containing 7 mol% of Er3+, which was used to evaluate the photovoltaic response of monocrystalline and monofacial silicon solar cell. This approach represents a beneficial strategy to stud spectral modification in upconverter materials.