Luminescence characteristics and near-infrared continuous laser operation of Er, Yb doped CNGS stoichiometric glasses

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, a series of Er 3+ doped CNGS glass–ceramics (GCs) and Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped CNGS glasses were prepared by traditional melt quenching method and heat treatment process and their structure, optical and laser properties were characterized in detail. The results of DSC, XRD and transmittance curves showed that low crystallinity CNGS GC could be obtained by heat treatment at 870 °C for 2 h. The optimal doping concentrations of Er 3+ and Yb 3+ were 1.4% and 7%, respectively, and the upconversion luminescence and near-infrared luminescence intensities of the glass reached the strongest at this concentration. The analysis of fluorescence lifetime and Er 3+ –Yb 3+ energy transfer process (ET) showed that the agglomeration effect of Er 3+ and Yb 3+ in glass was significant. Finally, under 976 nm laser diode pumping, CNGS: 1.4%Er 3+ and 2.5%Yb 3+ glass successfully achieved continuous laser output in the 1.5 ∼ 1.6 μ m band, with a maximum output power of 60 mW and a slope efficiency of 2.1%. The results show that the Er 3+ and Yb 3+ co-doped CNGS glass has good laser performance, and shows a broad application prospect as a fiber laser gain material in the 1.5 ∼ 1.6 μ m band.