The enhanced and broadband near-infrared emission in Pr3+/Nd3+ co-doped tellurite glass

This paper reports an enhanced and broadband near-infrared fluorescence emission in the Pr3+/Nd3+ co-doped tellurite glass, which was prepared using melt-quenching technique. Under the excitation of 488 nm laser diode (LD), three near-infrared emission bands at around 0.9, 1.04 and 1.30 mu m from P-3(1,0) -> (1)G(4), (1)G(4) -> H-3(4) and (1)G(4) -> H-3(5) radiative transitions respectively were observed in the Pr3+ single-doped glass, and the fluorescence intensities increased further with the introduction of Nd3+ ions, which is mainly attributed to the energy transfers from Nd3+ to Pr3+ emissions. Meanwhile, the spectral overlapping of Pr3+:(1)G(4)-> H-3(4) and Nd3+:F-4(3/2) -> I-4(11/2) radiative transitions resulted in a broadband emission ranging from 1000 to 1100 nm, whose full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) reached about 66 nm. Additionally, the spectroscopic properties of Nd3+ and Pr3+ ions were analyzed using Judd-Ofelt theory and the thermal stability property of prepared glass was characterized by the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurement, and larger than 134 degrees C for the difference Delta T (=T-x - T-g) was observed, which indicates its feasibility for later fiber drawing. The enhanced fluorescence and broadband emission indicate that Pr3+/Nd3+ co-doped tellurite glass can be applied in the near-infrared band tunable lasers and broadband optical amplifiers. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.