Phonon sideband spectroscopy and 1550 nm luminescence from Eu3+ and Er3+-doped ferroelectric PLZT for active electro-optic applications

This work reports the spectroscopic behavior of erbium- and europium-doped electro-optic PLZT. Fluorescence at 1.55 mu m from Er3+ : PLZT was found to be spectrally broad and fat in comparison to commercially utilized electrooptic materials such as LiNbO3. Phonon sideband spectroscopy of the F-7(o) --> D-5(2) pure electronic transition in Eu3+ showed the highest energy phonon from PLZT to be at 750 cm(-1). This reduced phonon energy, coupled with moderately high refractive indices inferring large radiative transition probabilities, mark PLZT as a candidate material for efficient lossless and/or amplifying electro-optic devices in optical communication networks. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.