Quantum‐dots‐precipitated rare‐earth‐doped glass for ultra‐broadband mid‐infrared emissions

Abstract

Mid‐infrared (MIR) fiber lasers have wide application prospects and great commercial value in the fields of medical operation, remote sensing and military weapon, etc. At present, Tm3+‐doped glass can obtain broadband luminescence at 2 μm, the introduction of Ho3+ or Er3+ ions also shows a tunable MIR emission but with limited success. Herein, the rare‐earth (RE) doped glass with quantum dots (QDs) precipitation is proposed for achieving ultra‐broadband MIR emissions. The types and sizes of QDs are determined by the XRD and TEM, and their optical properties are further characterized by the absorption and emission spectra as well as the lifetime decay curves. It is found that the diameter of the QDs is gradually increased from 1.7 to 5.1 nm by increasing the heat‐treated temperature from 490°C to 530°C, respectively. Interestingly, an ultra‐broadband emission covering 1400‐2600 nm is achieved from the heat‐treated glass upon the excitation of 808 nm laser diode as a result of an overlapped emission from Tm3+ and PbS. All results suggest that these QDs‐precipitated RE‐doped glasses have important application prospects in ultra‐broadband MIR laser glass, glass fiber, and fiber lasers.

Improved Fluorescence and Gain Characteristics of Er-Doped Optical Fiber with PbS Nanomaterials Co-Doping

“…Additionally, Wan et al reported the co-doped glasses with PbS nanocrystals and Tm 3+ ions. After that, they changed the size of nanocrystals to increase the fluorescent efficiency and bandwidth of Tm 3+ ions in the near-infrared region [ 18 ]. Moreover, PbS nanocrystals were used as the saturable absorber to broaden the bandwidth of Tm-doped fiber lasers, which is important for the passively mode-locking lasers in mid-infrared bands [ 19 ].…”

Enhanced Gain Characteristics of PbS-Doped Silica Fiber in O-Band by Co-Doping Er Ions

“…These findings indicate that the introduction of RE ions contributes to the nucleation and growth of PbS. Wang et al prepared PbS and Tm 3+ co-doped glass fiber and achieved ultra-broadband luminescence at 1400-2600 nm [13]. Pan et al discovered that co-doping Er 3+ ions can enhance the local crystal field intensity and affect the local structure of the silica matrix based on theoretical studies [14].…”