Growth and spectral properties of Er³⁺/Tm³⁺ co‐doped LiYF₄ single crystal

Abstract

High quality Er 3+ /Tm 3+ :LiYF 4 single crystals were grown by a Bridgman method. The absorption spectra and luminescent properties of the crystals were studied to characterize the effect of Tm 3+ on the spectroscopic properties upon excitation of an 800 nm laser diode. The broaden 1.5 μm and the enhanced 2.7 μm emission were observed in the Er 3+ /Tm 3+ co-doped LiYF 4 single crystals. Meanwhile, the up-conversion and 1.5 μm emission intensities from Er 3+ decrease with increasing the ratio of Tm 3+ to Er 3+ . The energy transfer processes between Tm 3+ and Er 3+ in the Er 3+ /Tm 3+ co-doped samples were analyzed. The energy transfer efficiency η ETE from Er 3+ to Tm 3+ is calculated. The highest η ETE of 65.30% for the sample with 0.296 mol% of Er 3+ , 0.496 mol% of Tm 3+ concentration was obtained. The present work indicates that Er 3+ /Tm 3+ co-doped LiYF 4 single crystal can be a promising material for the potential application in infrared devices.

Highly Efficient LiYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ Upconversion Single Crystal under Solar Cell Spectrum Excitation and Photovoltaic Application

“…The MYF 4 (M = Li, Na, K, Ru, and Cs) family has lower phonon energy (<350 cm −1 ) and is almost the most suitable host for UCL of RE ions, and the single-crystal structure can not only decrease the influence of defect states on UCL but also ensure the transparency of the media. 22 The codoping of Yb 3+ and Er 3+ and ET between Yb 3+ and Er 3+ lead to relatively efficient visible red and green emissions under the excitation of two NIR bands, in the ranges of 900−1000 nm and 1500−1600 nm. Traditional perovskite solar cells have attracted extensive interest owing to their rapid development in recent several years and demonstrate excellent photovoltaics response range of 300−800 nm, which matches well with the present upconverison materials.…”

Use of thulium-sensitized rare earth-doped low phonon energy crystalline hosts for IR sources

“…The demand for mid-infrared sources and applications in gas detection, remote sensing, IR spectroscopy, and infrared countermeasures has motivated research on alternative methods for generating mid-infrared. Quantum cascade lasers [1], thermal tungsten filaments, small bandgap III-V or II-VI optically pumped semi-conductors [2,3], rare earth-doped chalcogenide glasses [4], oxide glasses [5], and rare earth-doped fluoride crystals [6] have all been used as sources of mid-infrared. This paper discusses an approach to generating mid-infrared that uses rare earth-doped crystals with reduced phonon energies.…”