Efficient 1.8 μm Emission of a Novel Tm3+ Doped Germanate-Tellurite Glass

A new type of germanate-tellurite glass with doped Tm3+ ions is synthesized and its 1.8 mu m emission properties have been studied for its application as a laser material. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, emission cross section, absorption cross section, and gain coefficient of Tm3+ ions are calculated and analyzed. Germanate-tellurite glass with 1.0 mol% Tm2O3 possesses the highest spontaneous transition probability (423.4 s(-1)) and the largest calculated emission cross section (6.91x10(-21) cm(2)) at 1.8 mu m corresponding to the F-3(4) -> H-3(6) transition. The good 1.8 mu m emission performance suggests that this glass may become an attractive host for developing solid state lasers operating in the mid-infrared.