Optical properties of antimony-stabilised sulphide glasses doped with Dy3+ and Er3+ ions

Sulphide glasses based upon the ternary system GeGaS were stabilised by addition of antimony. Ge20Ga5Sb10S65 samples were prepared under vacuum in fused silica ampoules, melted in a rocking furnace at 1000 degrees C and cooled to room temperature. Their thermal stability is good, indicating promise for fibre drawing. These new glasses were transparent from 0.6 to 11 mu m. The 1.3 mu m emission of Dy3+ could be observed because of the phonon energy of these glasses. A Judd-Ofelt analysis was conducted, and the 1.3 mu m transition emission cross-section and quantum efficiency were calculated, The emission properties of Er3+ at 1.55 mu m were also measured, especially the lifetimes at different temperatures. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.