Enhancing the luminescence performance in germanosilicate glasses controlled by ZnF2

Rare-earth-doped optical functional glasses have attracted great interest for their excellent luminous performance in the applications of optical communications and biomedical systems. To the best of our knowledge, it is demonstrated for the first time that more than seven times’ enhancement of luminescence performance in the mid-infrared region (MIR) has been obtained in germanosilicate glasses controlled by ZnF2. Larger absorption and emission cross sections of the Ho3+:  I65→I75 transition indicate that this kind of germanosilicate-zinc glass may provide high gain as a good medium for an efficient 2.85 μm laser system.