Elucidation of Codoping Effects on the Solubility Enhancement of Er3+ in SiO2 Glass: Striking Difference between Al and P Codoping

Sol-gel-derived transparent silica-(Gd,Pr)PO4 glass-ceramic narrow-band UVB phosphors

Silica-based monolithic transparent glass-ceramics containing (Gd,Pr)PO4 orthophosphate nanocrystals, prepared by a cosolvent-free sol-gel method, efficiently emit narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB) photoluminescence (PL) at ∼313 nm from the 6P7/2 → 8S7/2 transition of Gd3+ ions upon excitation into the 4f-5d transition of Pr3+ ions. The formation of (Gd,Pr)PO4 nanocrystals as small as ∼5-10 nm facilitates energy transfer between rare-earth (RE) ions while avoiding optical loss by Rayleigh scattering. Unlike conventional phosphors, the aggregation of Gd3+ ions causes no concentration quenching, and the incorporation of inert RE ions to block energy transfer, such as La3+ and Y3+ ions, is unnecessary. A glass-ceramic with a Pr3+ ion fraction of 0.02 exhibited the maximum internal and external PL quantum efficiencies of ∼0.98 and ∼0.91, respectively, under excitation at 220 nm.

Electron anions and the glass transition temperature

Properties of glasses are typically controlled by judicious selection of the glass-forming and glass-modifying constituents. Through an experimental and computational study of the crystalline, molten, and amorphous [Ca12Al14O32](2+) ⋅ (e(-))2, we demonstrate that electron anions in this system behave as glass modifiers that strongly affect solidification dynamics, the glass transition temperature, and spectroscopic properties of the resultant amorphous material. The concentration of such electron anions is a consequential control parameter: It invokes materials evolution pathways and properties not available in conventional glasses, which opens a unique avenue in rational materials design.

Characteristic coordination structure around Nd Ions in sol-gel-derived Nd-Al-codoped silica glasses

Al codoping can improve the poor solubility of rare-earth ions in silica glasses. However, the mechanism is not well understood. The coordination structure around Nd ions in sol-gel-derived Nd-Al-codoped silica glasses with different Al content was investigated by optical and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies. Both tetrahedral AlO4 and octahedral AlO6 units were observed around Nd ions as ligands. The average total number of these two types of ligands for each Nd(3+) ion was ∼ 2 irrespective of Al content and was larger by 1-2 orders of magnitude than that calculated for a uniform distribution of codopant ions (∼ 0.08-0.25). With increasing Al content, AlO4 units disappeared and AlO6 units became dominant. The preferential coordination of AlOx (x = 4, 6) units to Nd ions enabled the amount of Al necessary to dissolve Nd ions uniformly in silica glass at a relatively low temperature of 1150-1200 °C to be minimized, and the conversion of AlO4 units to AlO6 units around Nd ions caused the asymmetry of the crystal field at the Nd sites to increase and the site-to-site distribution to decrease.

Highly transparent, bright green, sol–gel-derived monolithic silica-(Tb,Ce)PO4 glass-ceramic phosphors

A cosolvent-free sol–gel method yields monolithic silica glasses containing (Tb,Ce)PO₄ nanocrystals, free from Rayleigh scattering, and exhibiting ultraviolet-induced bright green photoluminescence.

Atomic-scale identification of individual lanthanide dopants in optical glass fiber

Various dopants are added in commercially available optical glass fibers. The specific atomic species and charge state of lanthanide dopants are known to significantly influence the fiber's optical properties. For understanding the role of dopants on the optical properties, atomic-scale identification of the lanthanide dopants in the optical fiber is crucial. Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is especially powerful for visualizing individual atoms of heavy elements buried in a matrix composed of light elements. Here, we apply aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark field (HAADF)-STEM to directly visualize individual erbium (Er) dopants buried in the optical glass fiber. Molecular dynamics and image simulations are used to interpret the experimental images and draw quantitative conclusions. The visibility of the buried Er atoms in the amorphous glass is strongly dependent on the defocus and specimen thickness, and only Er atoms in very thin regions can be reliably identified.

Evidence of AlOHC responsible for the radiation-induced darkening in Yb doped fiber

Using a combination of experimental techniques such as optical absorption, Raman scattering, continuous wave and pulse Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), we characterize a set of γ-irradiated Yb(3+) doped silica glass preforms with different contents of phosphorous and aluminum. We demonstrate that when P is introduced in excess compared to Al, nearly no radiodarkening is induced by γ-rays. On the other hand, when Al>P, a large absorption band is induced by radiation. Thermal annealing experiments reveal the correlation between the decrease of the optical absorption band and the decrease of the Al-Oxygen Hole Center (AlOHC) ESR signal, demonstrating the main role of AlOHC defects in the fiber darkening. HYSCORE (HYperfine Sublevel CORElation) pulse-ESR experiments show a high Al-P nuclear spin coupling when P>Al and no coupling when Al>P. This result suggests that both AlOHC and POHC creation is inhibited by Al-O-P linkages. Confronting our data with previous works, we show that the well-known photodarkening process, meaning losses induced by the IR pump, can also be explained in this framework.

Evidence of Tm impact in low-photodarkening Yb-doped fibers

In contrast to Yb/Al-doped fibers, the influence of very low Tm(2)O(3) concentrations (≥ 0.1 mol-ppm) on photodarkening (PD) is clearly detectable in Yb/P-doped fibers that are known to show little degradation effects. For Tm(2)O(3) additions of more than 50 mol-ppm, the measured PD loss is even similar to Yb/Al-doped fibers with comparable rare earth concentrations. Our work reveals the risk of color center generation by pumping at wavelengths of 915 nm or 976 nm even in Al-free Yb-doped fibers and emphasizes the importance of high purity of raw materials for the preparation of Yb laser fibers with expected very low PD.

Evidence of two erbium sites in standard aluminosilicate glass for EDFA

Site distributions of Er(3+)-doped aluminosilicate preforms of standard EDFA were studied by the low temperature Resonant Fluorescence Line Narrowing (RFLN) spectroscopy. Two erbium concentration samples with the same glass base were investigated. At very low erbium concentration, two classes of sites were identified, related to the number of AlO(6) octahedral linked by two oxygen edge-sharing to Er(3+) in the coordination sphere. As erbium concentration is increased, the high AlO(6) coordinated class of sites is smeared out by the optical response of the one AlO(6) coordinated class of sites.

Er-Doped Lead Borate Glasses and Transparent Glass Ceramics for Near-Infrared Luminescence and Up-Conversion Applications

Lead borate based glasses have been analyzed using Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The formation of different borate groups and the direction of BO3 <--> BO4 conversion strongly depends on the PbO- and/or PbF2-to-B2O3 ratio in chemical composition. PbF2-PbO-B2O3 based glasses containing Er3+ ions have been studied after annealing. The orthorhombic PbF2 crystallites are formed during thermal treatment, which was evidenced by X-ray diffraction analysis. Near-infrared luminescence at 1530 nm and green up-conversion at 545 nm have been registered for samples before and after annealing. The luminescence bands correspond to 4I13/2-4I15/2 and 4S3/2-4I15/2 transitions of Er3+ ions, respectively. In comparison to the precursor glasses, the luminescence intensities are higher in the studied transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics. Simultaneously, the half-width of the luminescence lines slightly decreases. It can be the evidence that a small amount of the Er3+ ions is incorporated into the orthorhombic PbF2 phase.