Broadband near-infrared emission and energy transfer in Nd-Bi co-doped transparent silicate glass-ceramics for optical amplifiers

The Bi+-doped, Nd3+-doped, and Nd3+-Bi+ co-doped in SiO2-Al2O3-BaF2-LaF3-TiO2 transparent silicate glass ceramics were fabricated by conventional melting-quenching technique. The super broadband near-infrared luminescence, decay time spectra in Nd3+-Bi+ co-doped transparent silicate glass-ceramics under 808 run excitation were investigated. The interesting in this paper is due to energy transfer between Bi+ and Nd3+ ions already exists lead to super broadband NIR emission extending from 1050 to 1550 nm with a full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of 480 mu which covered the whole O, E and S bands were observed in the Nd3+-Bi+ co-doped transparent silicate glass ceramics. In addition, based on the decay time spectra, mechanism of energy transfer processes between Bi+ and Nd3+ ions were also discussed and proposed.