Pump-wavelength dependence of the emission properties for Er-Yb-Bi triply-doped borosilicate glasses

Abstract

The pump-wavelength dependence of the emission properties for Er-Yb-Bi triply-doped borosilicate glasses with different concentrations of bismuth was investigated. The peak intensity of the 1538 nm emission of Er3+ ions in the glass with 2 mol% of Bi2O3 upon 980 nm excitation was found to increase 14.5 times compared to that after the 805 nm excitation. The lifetime of the 1538 nm emission slightly decreased with the addition of 0.5 mol% of Bi2O3, but increased with increasing bismuth concentration up to 2 mol% upon 980 nm excitation (774 -> 913 A mu s). The efficiency of the energy transfer from Yb3+ to Er3+ ions increased with increasing bismuth concentration, and the highest efficiency was 10.4% when 2 mol% of Bi2O3 was added.