Er3+-doped Na2O•Cd3Al2Si3O12 glass for infrared and upconversion applications

Er3+-doped Na2O.Cd3Al2Si3O12 glass suitable for making optical waveguide devices has been fabricated and characterized for the first time. The density, the refractive indices, the optical absorption, the Judd-Ofelt parameters and the spontaneous transition probabilities have been measured and calculated. Strong 1.535 mum fluorescence was observed under 973 nm excitation, and its emission cross-section has been determined from the line shape of the emission spectrum and the measured lifetime for the I-4(13/2) level. The maximum emission cross-section is obtained as 7.28 x 10(-21) cm(2) at 1.535 mum. Efficient green and weak red upconversion luminescence from Er3+ centers in the sample was observed at room temperature, and the upconversion excitation processes have been analyzed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.