Investigation of near-infrared luminescence in Er3+ and Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped ZnMgAl10O17 phosphors

Abstract ZnMgAl 10 O 17 -phosphor samples doped with Er 3+ ions and codoped with both Er 3+ and Yb 3+ ions were prepared using a combustion method. The formation of combustion products was confirmed by the XRD analysis. Upon the excitation at 980 nm, the IR-emission spectra of ∼1.53 μm were measured for the Er 3+ -doped and Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped ZnMgAl 10 O 17 -phosphor samples. The deconvolvement of the emission spectra and the fitting analysis suggest that the Er 3+ ions occupied the same sites in both phosphor samples. Further, the wavelength of the sublevel-split components and the effective linewidths were determined. The significant enhancement of the IR-emission intensity and the broadening of the Er 3+ ions ( 4 I 13/2  →  4 I 15/2 ) in the prepared phosphors were explored.