Efficient improvement of 2.7 μm luminescence of Er3+:oxyfluoride glass containing gallium by Yb3+ ions codoping

Abstract Mid-infrared laser materials with low phonon energy have significant applications. However, the development of available glass systems for high-power laser gain medium have posed a great challenge. Therefore, we investigated the 2.7 μm spectroscopic properties of Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped oxyfluoride glass containing gallium, which were prepared by typically melting and quenching methods. The 2.7 μm luminescence properties of the Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped oxyfluoride glass containing gallium were recorded by a 980 nm laser diode. The Judd–Ofelt parameters, decay curves, emission cross section, energy transfer efficiency and quantum efficiency were calculated. The maximum emission cross section of YbFGa-0.5 is 1.63 × 10 −20  cm 2 by 980 nm excitation. The energy transfer efficiency is calculated to be 77.8% for the YbFGa-0.5 glass around 2700 nm. The quantum efficiency at 1530 nm is 65.6%. The result reveals that the best doping concentration ratio of Er 3+ :Yb 3+ ions is 1:0.5, and suggests an effective energy transfer from Yb 3+ to Er 3+ ions.