Up-conversion luminescent properties of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped transparent glass ceramics containing Na3.6Y1.8(PO4)3 crystals

Abstract Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped transparent glass ceramics containing Na 3.6 Y 1.8 (PO 4 ) 3 crystals were prepared by high-temperature melting and subsequent heat treatment the precursor glass, and their up-conversion luminescent properties were investigated. The optimum heat treatment condition of glass at 630 °C for 2 h were determined by a series of experimental results, and confirmed the existence of Na 3.6 Y 1.8 (PO 4 ) 3 crystals in glass ceramics. The up-conversion luminescence spectra of the glass ceramic samples under pulsed excitation at 980 nm revealed luminescence bands corresponding to Er 3+ ion transitions in the green ( 4 F 7/2 - 4 I 15/2 , 2 H 12/2 - 4 I 15/2 , 4 S 3/2 - 4 I 15/2 ) and red ( 4 F 9/2 - 4 I 15/2 ) spectral regions. The fluorescence spectra reaches a maximum when the molar ratio of Er 2 O 3 to Yb 2 O 3 is 1:7. Luminescence quantum yield of the samples was measured by using an integrating sphere. The transmission spectra proved that the glass ceramics sample still maintained a high transparency up to 83% in the visible region.