Near-infrared broadband emission from bismuth-tantalum-codoped germanium oxide glasses was observed at room temperature when the glasses were pumped by an 808 nm laser diode. The emission band covered the O, E, S, C, and L bands (1260-1625 nm), with a maximum peak at approximately 1310 nm, a FWHM broader than 400 nm, and a lifetime longer than 200 micros. The observed broadband luminescence was attributed to bismuth clusters in the glasses. Bismuth-tantalum-codoped germanium oxide glass might be promising as amplification media for broadly tunable lasers and wideband amplifiers in optical communications.

Tm(3+)-Yb(3+) codoped transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing LaF(3) nanocrystals were obtained by thermal treatment on the as-made glasses. The formation of LaF(3) nanocrystals and the incorporation of Tm(3+) and Yb(3+) into LaF(3) nanocrystal lattice were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Infrared quantum cutting involving Yb(3+) 950-1100 nm ((2)F(5/2)--> (2)F(7/2)) emission was achieved upon the excitation of the (1)G(4) energy level of Tm(3+) at 468 nm. We measured the photoluminescence properties of these glass ceramics. We also investigated the thermal treatment duration dependent quantum efficiency, and found that the quantum efficiency is 13% increased for the 0.5Tm(3+)-4Yb(3+) doped glass ceramic with a maximum value of 144%, and 16% increased for the 0.5Tm3+-8Yb3+ doped glass ceramic with a maximum value of 162%, respectively.

We report the precipitation and control of metal nanoparticles inside transparent glasses. An Ag ϩ -doped silicate glass sample was first irradiated by using an 800 nm femtosecond laser at room temperature and then annealed at 550°C. The area near the focal point of the laser beam became gray after laser irradiation and yellow after further annealing at 550°C for 10 min. Absorption and electron spin resonance spectra of the glass sample showed that a portion of silver ions near the focused part of the laser beam inside the glass were reduced to silver atoms after the laser irradiation. These silver atoms aggregated to form nanoparticles after further annealing at temperatures above 500°C. A mechanism is suggested that consists of multiphoton reduction, which is induced by the fundamental light of the laser beam and supercontinuum white light, and diffusion of silver atoms driven by heat energy to form nanoparticles. The observed phenomenon may have promising applications for the fabrication of three-dimensional multicolored images inside a transparent material and for integrative micro-optical switches.

We report on space-selective growth of a second-harmonic-generation beta-BaB(2)O(4) (BBO) crystal inside a BaO-Al(2)O(3)-B(2)O(3) glass sample at the focal point of an 800-nm femtosecond laser beam. A spherical heated region was formed during the focused laser irradiation through observation with an optical microscope. We moved the heated region by changing the position of the focal point of the laser beam relative to the glass sample. We grew BBO crystal continuously in the glass sample by adjusting the moving speed of the heated zone. Our results demonstrate that functional crystals can be formed three dimensionally in glasses by use of a nonresonant ultrashort pulsed laser.