Comparison of fluorescence spectra of Yb:Y3Al5O12 and Yb:YAlO3 single crystals

Yb:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (Yb:YAG) single crystals with Yb doping concentration 0.5 at.%, 5 at.%, 15 at.%, 25 at.%, 50 at.%, 100 at.% and Yb:YAlO₃ (Yb:YAP) single crystals with Yb doping concentration 0.5 at.%, 5 at.%, 15 at.%, 30 at.% were grown by the Czochralski process. The fluorescence spectra of these crystals and the effects of self-absorption on the shape of the fluorescence spectra were studied. Through comparing the fluorescence spectra of Yb:YAG and Yb:YAP, all results indicate that the effects of self-absorption on the fluorescence spectra of Yb:YAP are remarkably stronger than that of Yb:YAG at the same Yb concentration.     

CeO2∶Er3+纳米晶的合成及上转换发光特性研究

采用燃烧法制备得到CeO2∶Er3+纳米晶粉末.用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)和荧光分光光度计等对CeO2∶Er3+纳米晶的结构、形貌和上转换发光特性进行了研究.结果表明:所得到的纳米晶粒度均匀、结晶完好,属于立方萤石结构.上转换发光光谱的研究表明:在980nm红外光激发下,可以发现上转换荧光,分别来自于Er3+离子的2H11/2,4S3/2→4 I15/2和4 F9/2→4I15/2跃迁.     

Multi-photon luminescence in Er/Yb:SrO⋅TiO2 glass ceramic

Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ doped strontium titanate borosilicate glass was prepared. Glass ceramic was prepared by controlled heat treatment (at 955 °C) of glass. Ti₁₀O₁₉ and Sr₃Ti₂O₇ were found as major crystalline phases. The emission spectra of glass and glass ceramic samples were investigated under 976 nm laser excitation. In glass ceramic, the intensity of the emitted radiation was much higher (≈50 times for green and ≈10 times for red emission) than in the glass. A new three photon process was found to be responsible for emission at low power which is not yet observed in Er³⁺/Yb³⁺:SrO⋅TiO₂ glass ceramic system to the best of our knowledge. The details of upconversion mechanisms e.g. Energy Transfer (ET) and Excited State Absorption (ESA) were studied by power-intensity log dependence. It is expected that Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ doped nanocrystalline (?10 nm) Sr₃Ti₂O₇ phase was responsible for the observed upconversion phenomenon in glass ceramic.     

Color tunability of upconversion emission in YBO3: Yb, Er inverse opal

Upconversion (C) light-emitting photonic band gap materials (YBO₃: Yb, Er) with inverse opal structure were prepared by a self-assembly technique in combination with a sol-gel method. The effect of the photonic stop-band on the upconversion luminescence of Er³⁺ ions has been investigated in the YBO₃: Yb, Er inverse opals. Significant suppression of the green or red UC emission was detected if the photonic band-gap overlaps with the Er³⁺ ions emission band. We successfully achieved the color tuning of the UC optical properties of the inverse opal by controlling the structure of the photonic crystal.     

Frequency upconversion of Tm and Yb codoped YLiF4 synthesized by hydrothermal method

In this paper, YLiF₄ codoped with Tm³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions was synthesized by hydrothermal method. Yb³⁺ concentration is fixed at 1.5%, and Tm³⁺ concentration is changed from 0.1 to 0.4%. Intense upconversion luminescence is observed when the samples are excited by 980 nm. The dependence of upconversion luminescence on Tm³⁺ concentrations is presented. The results show that upconversion luminescence increases with the Tm⁺ concentration and gets its peak at 0.3 mol%. Under the excitation of 980 nm, the blue emission of 479 nm and the red emission of 647 nm are both duo to two photons process, and the UV emission of 361 nm is attributed to the three photons process. We also analyse the upconversion mechanism and process.     

Significant reduction of upconversion emission in CaTiO3: Yb, Er inverse opals

Inverse opal photonic crystals of Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ co-doped CaTiO₃ (CaTiO₃: Yb, Er) were prepared using self-assembled polystyrene templates combined with the infiltration of sol-gel precursor. The influence of the photonic band gap on upconversion emission of Er³⁺ has been investigated in the CaTiO₃: Yb, Er inverse opals. Significant reduction of the upconversion emission was detected if the photonic band-gap overlaps with the Er³⁺ ions emission band.     

Concentration effects on Pr luminescence in LaAlO3 crystals

Concentration dependant emission spectra and fluorescence dynamic profiles have been investigated in Pr_xLa_1−xAlO₃ single crystals in order to better understand processes responsible for concentration quenching of the praseodymium ³P₀ and ¹D₂ emissions. The cross-relaxation transfer rates were experimentally determined as a function of Pr³⁺ concentration. Decays were modeled and nearest-neighbor trapping rates were calculated.     

Two- and three-photon upconversion of LaOBr:Er

In this work, the LaOBr:Er³⁺ (0.1%) powders were prepared by solid state reaction. The structural properties of LaOBr:Er³⁺ were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that LaOBr:Er³⁺ has low phonon energy, which indicate that LaOBr:Er³⁺ may have high luminescent efficiency. Under excitation into ⁴I_11/2 level of Er³⁺ ions by 980 nm laser, the two- and three-photon upconverted luminescence of LaOBr:Er³⁺ were recorded. The most intense emissions were come from the ²H_11/2, ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2 transitions. The upconversion mechanisms were studied in detail through laser power dependence, and results show that excited state absorption is responsible for the upconversion. The upconversion properties indicate that LaOBr:Er³⁺ may be used in upconversion phosphors.     

Polyol-mediated synthesis of water-soluble LaF3:Yb,Er upconversion fluorescent nanocrystals

Well-crystallized LaF₃:Yb,Er nanoparticles were prepared by the polyol method and three kinds of polyols (glycol, diethylene glycol and glycerol) were chosen as the reaction medium respectively. All of the obtained LaF₃:Yb,Er nanoparticles have roughly spherical shapes, and the average sizes of these nanoparticles ranged from 5 to 7 nm. These nanoparticles could be well dispersed in water or ethanol to form colloidal solutions. When these nanoparticles were excited by the 980 nm laser, several upconversion emissions were observed.     

Bright white upconversion luminescence from Er-Tm-Yb doped CaSnO3 powders

Bright white upconversion luminescence from Er³⁺-Tm³⁺-Yb³⁺ doped CaSnO₃ powders is obtained under the diode laser excitation of 980 nm. It is composed of three primary colors of red, green and blue emissions, which originate from the transitions of ⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2, (²H_11/2, ⁴S_3/2) → ⁴I_15/2 of Er³⁺ ions and ¹G₄ → ³H₆ of Tm³⁺ ions, respectively. The efficient upconversion emission is attributed to the energy transfer between Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ or Tm³⁺ions. Moreover, it is observed that Tm³⁺ acts as the quenching center for the green upconversion luminescence from Er³⁺ ions, and the sensitizer for the red and blue luminescence when the Tm³⁺ doping content is less than 0.3 mol%. This is interpreted in terms of the efficient energy transfer between Tm³⁺ and Er³⁺ ions. The calculated color coordinates fall within the white region in the standard 1931 CIE chromaticity diagram, indicating the potential applications of Er³⁺-Tm³⁺-Yb³⁺ doped CaSnO₃ in the field of displaying and lasers, etc.     

Photon-avalanche upconversion of Ho in NaYF4 and enhancement of violet, blue and green emissions induced by sensitization of Tm

Ho³⁺ singly doped and Ho³⁺/Tm³⁺ co-doped hexagonal NaYF₄ powders have been synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. Under excitation of 671 nm diode laser, upconverted blue, green and red emission bands are observed in Ho³⁺ singly doped sample. Temporal evolution and excitation power dependent behavior for the green emission are explored, indicating that a photon-avalanche mechanism is responsible for the upconversion processes in Ho³⁺ singly doped hexagonal NaYF₄ sample. With the introduction of Tm³⁺, the intensities of both blue and green emissions of Ho³⁺ are efficiently enhanced, which are attributed to two energy transfer processes from Tm³⁺ to Ho³⁺, i.e., ³F₄ (Tm³⁺) + ⁵I₈(Ho³⁺) → ³H₆ (Tm³⁺) + ⁵I₇(Ho³⁺) and ¹G₄ (Tm³⁺) + ⁵I₈(Ho³⁺) → ³H₆ (Tm³⁺) + ⁵F₃(Ho³⁺). The result offers a new sensitization approach to enhance the upconversion efficiency of Ho³⁺ under 671 nm excitation.     

Y2O3:Eu3+纳米晶的制备及其光学性能研究

以NaOH,Y(NO3)3.6H2O和Eu(NO3)3.6H2O为前驱体,通过添加络合剂PEG-2000,采用水热法,成功地合成了Y2O3∶Eu3+纳米棒和纳米管,并采用先进的测试手段对其结构和性能进行了表征与测试。探讨了Y2O3∶Eu3+纳米棒和纳米管的生长机制,同时研究了Y2O3:Eu3+纳米晶的光致发光性能。研究结果表明,水热温度、反应时间、NaOH的添加量和PEG-2000对产物形貌有着非常重要的影响,所制备的材料具有Eu3+的特征红光发射,并在Eu3+的掺杂量为5%(摩尔分数)时样品发光最好。     

Sol-gel synthesis and green upconversion luminescence in BaGd2(MoO4)4:Yb,Er phosphors

Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ codoped BaGd₂(MoO₄)₄ phosphor powders were prepared by the Sol-gel method and the upconversion luminescence properties were investigated in detail. Under 980 nm semiconductor laser excitation, BaGd₂(MoO₄)₄:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ phosphor exhibits green upconversion luminescence with peaks at 530 and 550 nm, which are due to the transitions of Er³⁺ (²H_11/2) → Er³⁺ (⁴I_15/2) and Er³⁺ (⁴S_3/2) → Er³⁺ (⁴I_15/2), respectively. Both of the two green emission lines are produced by populating Er³⁺ ions to the excited state through a two-photon process. By monitoring the intensities of the green upconversion luminescence, the optimum conditions for the Sol-gel synthesis were determined when the molar ratio of citric acid to total chelate metal cations was 2:1 and the sintering temperature was at 1073 K. The concentration quenching effect for Er³⁺ was found at the optimum doping concentration of 6 mol%, and the critical distance for the neighboring Er³⁺ was determined to be about 21.5 Å.     

Spectral dependence of the diffraction efficiency of light-induced gratings in YAlO3:Mn crystals

The results of measurements of spectral dependence of diffraction efficiency of light-induced holographic gratings in YAlO₃:Mn(0.5%) crystal are reported. The experimental data are interpreted as an effect of interaction of both refractive index changes and light-induced absorption associated with optical transition within photo-induced Mn⁵⁺ ions and intrinsic defect centers. Nature of the intrinsic traps involved in the process is discussed.     

Design and achieving mechanism of upconversion white emission based on Yb/Tm/Er tri-doped KY3F10 nanocrystals

KY₃F₁₀:Yb³⁺/Tm³⁺/Er³⁺ upconversion nanocrystals are synthesized via a simple hydrothermal procedure. The nanocrystals emit the near equal energy white light with high brightness and favorable color balance when excited using a 980 nm continuous wave diode laser. The research of upconversion mechanism indicates that in addition to the energy transfer processes from Yb³⁺ to Tm³⁺ and Er³⁺, respectively, there exists a new process ¹G₄ (Tm³⁺) + ⁴I_11/2 (Er³⁺) → ³H₄ (Tm³⁺) + ⁴S_3/2 (Er³⁺).     

White light upconversion of nanocrystalline Er/Tm/Yb doped tetragonal Gd4O3F6

Er³⁺, Tm³⁺ and Yb³⁺ codoped gadolinium oxyfluoride nanoparticles were prepared in aqueous solution by a simple coprecipitation method, under alkaline conditions. After a suitable heat treatment at 500 °C, the nanocrystalline powders were found to be single phase tetragonal Gd₄O₃F₆ after a structural characterization using X-ray powder diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the average size of the nanoparticles was approximately 50 nm. Following appropriate lanthanide ion doping, the nanocrystals show bright white light upconversion upon excitation at 980 nm using a diode laser as the excitation source.     

Optical properties of Sm doped Mg:LiNbO3 and Zn:LiNbO3 single crystals

Sm³⁺ doped Mg:LiNbO₃ and Zn:LiNbO₃ are grown by Czochralski method. Optical transmittance and emission spectra are measured and Judd-Ofelt theory is applied to determine phenomenological intensity parameters, oscillator strengths, radiant transition rates, total radiant lifetimes, and branching ratios. The calculations show that Judd-Ofelt parameters with the relation of Ω₄ > Ω₂ > Ω₆ exist, and ΣΩ_ξ (ξ = 2, 4 and 6) in Sm:Zn:LiNbO₃ decreases. Fluorescence spectra indicate that visible fluorescence of Sm³⁺ is made up of 570, 606, 613 and 654 nm emission bands in these crystals under 409 nm excitation.     

NaYF4:Er3+六棱柱的水热合成及上转换发光性能

以氟化钠、硝酸钇、硝酸铒为原料,利用水热法合成NaYF4:Er3+材料。利用X射线粉末衍射仪(XRD)、场扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、红外吸收(FT-IR)以及发光光谱等手段对产物的物相结构、形貌和荧光性能进行分析。结果表明,NaYF4:Er3+为六角棱柱晶体,属于六方晶系,具有P63/m(176)空间点群结构。在980nm光激发下,NaYF4:Er3+展现出强的上转换光,波长在520nm和539nm为绿光发射,对应为Er3+离子的2 H11/2→4/I15/2和4S3/2→4/I15/2跃迁发射,而652nm为红光发射,则对应于Er3+离子的4F9/2→4/I15/2跃迁发射。     

Local thermal effect at luminescent spot on upconversion luminescence in Y2O3:Er,Yb nanoparticles

Y₂O₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ nanoparticles were synthesized using Pechini type sol-gel method and then characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectrophotometer. Local temperature effect on upconversion luminescence intensities was theoretically analyzed and experimentally tested. These results indicate that a competition process between local temperature at luminescent spot and laser pump power density decides the development trend of upconversion luminescence intensity. Therefore, it can be concluded that the most intensive upconversion luminescence in Y₂O₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ nanoparticles can be achieved at a certain pump power density, which should be slightly below a given constant value (the corresponding threshold of temperature).     

Preparation and upconversion property of TeO2:Er/Yb nanoparticles

Different crystal structure of TeO₂ nanoparticles were used as the host materials to prepare the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ ions co-doped upconversion luminescent materials. The TeO₂ nanoparticles mainly kept the original morphology and phase after having been co-doped the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ ions. All the as-prepared TeO₂:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ nanoparticles showed the green emissions (525 nm, 545 nm) and red emission (667 nm) under 980 nm excitation. The green emissions at 525 nm, 545 nm and red emission at 667 nm were attributed to the ²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2 transitions of the Er³⁺ ions, respectively. For the α-TeO₂:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ (3/10 mol%) nanoparticles, three-photon process involved in the green (²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2) emission, while two-photon process involved in the green (⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2) and red (⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2) emissions. For the β-TeO₂:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ (3/10 mol%) nanoparticles, two-photon process involved in the green (²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2), green (⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2) and red (⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_15/2) emissions. It suggested that the crystal structure of TeO₂ nanoparticles had an effect on transition processes of the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ ions. The emission intensities of the α-TeO₂:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ (3/10 mol%) nanoparticles and β-TeO₂:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ (3/10 mol%) nanoparticles were much stronger than those of the (α + β)-TeO₂:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ (3/10 mol%) nanoparticles.