Excited state dynamics and energy transfer processes in YVO4:Er3+ crystals

An extensive investigation of the fluorescence dynamics of the (H-2(11/2),S-4(3/2)), F-4(9/2), I-4(9/2), I-4(11/2), and I-4(13/2) states was carried out for. 0.1%, 1%, 2.5%, and 10% Er3+ doped in YVO4. The decay profiles of the luminescence of the S-4(3/2) level of Er3+ (1.0%) obey the Inokuti-Hirayama model for energy transfer for an electric dipole-electric dipole interaction in the absence of diffusion among the donors. From the analysis we were able to calculate the critical distance, R-0, and it was found to be 5.7 Angstrom: The dipole-dipole coupling parameter was estimated to be 2.9 x 10(-51) m(6) s(-1) and compared well to other well known systems. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.