Analysis of Optical and Near-Infrared Luminescence of Er³⁺ and Er^3+/ Yb³⁺ Co-Doped Heavy Metal Borate Glasses for Optical Amplifier Applications

For the near-infrared emission, Er³⁺ and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ co-activated borate based glass hosts were synthesized by the method of melting andquenching. The emission intensity was maximum for 0.5 mol% Er³⁺ singly activated glass in the near-infrared (NIR) region covering the telecommunication window. The 2 mol% of Yb³⁺ co-doping enhanced the emission gain cross-section of the glass by two times contrast to 0.5 mol% Er³⁺ loaded glass. This enhancement shifted to lower spectral regions when P increased from 0 to 1. The effect of Yb³⁺ loading on the gain cross-section of the Er³⁺ co-activated glasses was analyzed using the McCumber theory. The results showed that the 0.5Er2Yb glass has a flat gain in the range of 1460–1640 nm, this suggest a lower pump threshold is enough to perform the laser functioning of a 1530 nm band and optical window of telecommunication applications.