Effects of La3+ on the enhancement NIR quantum cutting and UC emissions in Nd3+–Yb3+ co-doped transparent silicate glass-ceramics for solar cells

Abstract Near-infrared (NIR) quantum cutting (QC) and upconversion (UC) emission of Nd3+–Yb3+ co-doped in Si–Al–Ba–La transparent silicate glass-ceramics (SGC) were prepared. Influence of La3+ on the enhancement NIR QC and UC emission intensity of the co-doped Nd3+–Yb3+ in SGC were investigated. Thereby, NIR QC and UC emission intensity of the co-doped Nd3+–Yb3+ were increased strongly with increasing concentration of LaF3 from 5 up to 25 mol. %. The value of NIR QC emission intensity of the co-doped Nd3+–Yb3+ band centered at ~890, 947, 1071, 1339 and 1430 nm is maximized when the concentration of LaF3 reaches 25 mol. %. At the same time, with the increasing concentration of Yb3+, NIR QC emission intensity of the co-doped Nd3+–Yb3+ bands centered at ~890, 1071, 1339 and 1430 nm of Nd3+ and 947 nm of Yb3+ were gradually increased and reaches its maximum at 2.5 mol. % Yb3+, then decreased owing to the self-quenching effect. In addition, NIR QC mechanism and energy transfer (ET) processes between 2F5/2 → 2F7/2 transition of Yb3+ and transitions of Nd3+ are discussed.