Gain properties and concentration quenching of Er3+-doped niobium oxyfluorosilicate glasses for photonic applications

Abstract Structural and spectral properties of erbium-doped niobium oxyfluorosilicate glasses were characterized by the differential thermal analysis, Raman, infrared, photoluminescence and lifetime measurements. With the increase of Er 3+ ions concentration, the lifetime of 4 I 13/2 level has been decreased due to the concentration quenching effect. The McCumber’s theory was adopted to predict the emission cross-section ( σ emi M ) of 4 I 13/2  →  4 I 15/2 transition from the absorption cross-section ( σ abs ) of 4 I 15/2  →  4 I 13/2 transition of Er 3+ ions. The gain parameters such as optical gain, gain bandwidth and gain coefficient for amplification were evaluated for the 4 I 13/2  →  4 I 15/2 emission transition (1.54 μm). The Er 3+ -doped niobium oxyfluorosilicate glass covers both C (1530–1565 nm) and the L (1565–1625 nm) band regions in the optical communication window. From the results of these investigations, it is concluded that the Er 3+ -doped niobium oxyfluorosilicate glasses are more useful for photonic device applications.