Er3+/Tm3+/Nd3+ tri-doping tellurite glass with ultra-wide NIR emission

Abstract In present work, the luminescent property of Er3+, Tm3+ and Nd3+ doping tellurite glass synthesized using melt-quenching technique was reported. Upon the pumping of commercial 808 nm laser, an ultra-wide luminescent spectrum spanning from 1300 to 1650 nm was obtained in glass with appropriate amounts of three Er3+, Tm3+, and Nd3+ ions combination. This ultra-wide near-infrared (NIR) luminescence resulted from the transitions of Er3+:4I13/2→4I15/2 (~1.53 µm), Tm3+:3H4→3F4 (~1.47 µm) and Nd3+:4F3/2→4I13/2 (~1.34 µm), and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) was up to ~232 nm, which makes it possible to develop new ultra-broadband ASE source, fiber amplifier and tunable fiber laser. The spectroscopic parameters such as radiative probability, branching ratio, absorption and emission cross-sections of Er3+, Tm3+ and Nd3+ ions were determined to better understand this ultra-wide luminescent properties, and the fluorescence decay lifetimes of doped ions were evaluated to demonstrate the energy transfers existed among Er3+, Tm3+ and Nd3+ ions which are responsible for the ultra-wide luminescent phenomena. Further, the structural nature and thermal stability of tellurite glasses were studied. The excellent ultra-wide luminescence in near-infrared band as well as good thermal stability indicate that the synthesized tellurite glass with Er3+-Tm3+-Nd3+ combination is promising for broadband photonic device applications.