OPTICAL DOPING OF SODA-LIME-SILICATE GLASS WITH ERBIUM BY ION-IMPLANTATION

Soda-lime-silicate glass has been implanted with 500 keV Er ions at fluences between 8.6 X 10(14) and 1.8 X 10(16)/cm2 with the aim to optically dope the material in the near surface region. The ion range was 100 nm, and Er concentrations in the range 0.09-1.9 at. % were obtained. The characteristic photoluminescence (PL) of Er3+ around 1.54 mum is observed at room temperature in as-implanted glass. The PL intensity increases by an order of magnitude after annealing above 500-degrees-C, as a result of annihilation of implantation-induced defects. Annealing causes an increase in PL lifetime. As a function of Er fluence, the PL intensity first increases, but levels off above approximately 6 X 10(15) Er/cm2 (0.6 at. % Er peak concentration). The PL lifetime decreases from 13 to 1.5 ms for increasing Er concentration. The decrease in PL efficiency with concentration is attributed to concentration quenching caused by Er-Er interactions. The optimal combination of PL intensity and lifetime is reached at almost-equal-to 0.4 at. % peak concentration, for which the lifetime is 6 ms. For high Er concentrations and high pump intensities (approximately 3 kW/cm2) an additional, intensity dependent quenching mechanism (possibly cooperative upconversion) is observed.