Infrared to Visible Up-Conversion Emission in Er3+/Yb3+ Codoped Fluoro-Phosphate Glass-Ceramics

Erbium Er3+ and ytterbium Yb3+ codoped fluoro-phosphate glasses belonging to the system NaPO3YF3BaF2CaF2 have been prepared by the classical melt-quenching technique. Glasses containing up to 10wt% of erbium and ytterbium fluorides have been obtained and characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and UVvisible and near-infrared spectroscopy. Transparent and homogeneous glassceramics have been then reproducibly synthetized by appropriate heat treatment above glass transition temperature of a selected parent glass. Structural investigations of the crystallization performed through X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have evidenced the formation of fluorite-type cubic crystals based during the devitrification process. Finally, infrared to visible up-conversion emission upon excitation at 975nm has been studied on the Er3+ and Yb3+ codoped glassceramics as a function of thermal treatment time. A large enhancement of intensity of the up-conversion emissionsabout 150 times- has been observed in the glassceramics if compared to the parent glass one, suggesting an incorporation of the rare-earth ions (REI) into the crystalline phase.