Role of Ce3+ as sensitizer for the infrared luminescence of phosphosilicate Er/Yb doped glasses

Abstract

The luminescence properties of the Yb/Er-doped phosphosilicate preforms used for the design of active optical fibers were investigated under a tunable laser excitation from ultraviolet to infrared domain. We demonstrated that codoping the glass matrix with Ce3+ ions strongly influences the infrared emission associated with Er3+ ions, it enhances the energy transfer from Yb3+ to Er3+ ions, and it provides an additional ultraviolet excitation channel for the emission of both Yb3+ and Er3+ ions. The excitation/emission pathways are discussed on the basis of models proposed in literature for other systems.