Assessment of optical and fluorescence aspects of Er3+-doped multicomponent B2O3 glasses as active media for 1.532 mm near-infrared optical amplifiers

Abstract

Current work principally provides an idea on controlling the Er3+: NIR (near-infrared) emission characteristics by changing a glass constituent and finding a suitable glass host favorable to design a novel C-optical band (1.53-1.565 mm) amplifier. By melting and rapid quench route, six transparent B2O3 (1 mol%)-doped B2O3-rich glasses having different single and mixed alkali ions were fabricated, and optical and fluorescence (visible and NIR) traits including Er3+ ion upper-levels S-4(3/2) and I-4(13/2) decay dynamics were inspected for such samples. At 1.4-1.65 mu m wavelength range, an intense and wide NIR luminescence band centered at 1.532 mu m (Er3+: I-4(13/2) / I-4(15/2) transition) has been obtained by a 980 mu m laser diode pumping (I-4(15/2) / I-4(11/2)). NIR fluorescence Delta lambda(eff) (effective bandwidth) varied depending on added single or mixed alkali ions, and a maximum Delta lambda(eff) similar to 74.66 nm was acquired for Er3+ : Li ions constituting glass. For the I-4(13/ 2) / I-4(15/2) transition, semi (stimulated emission cross-section) was evaluated using both FuchtbauereLadenburg and McCumber's theories. In all glasses, comparably, higher gain bandwidth (= 5.384 x 10(-26) cm(3)) and peak sigma(M)(emi) (= 1.692 x 10(-20) cm(2)) values have been attained for I-4(13/2) / I-4(15/2) transition in Li ions containing sample, and also this glass possesses the largest sabs (absorption cross-section) (= 1.459 x 10(-20) cm(2)) for I-4(15/2)/ I-4(13/2) transition. Further, at distinctive P (population inversion) values, gain spectra were computed, and all samples show C-optical band amplification beginning from P = 50%. All analyzed NIR fluorescence results indicate that Li ions having glass could be a potential gain medium for fiber amplifiers. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.