ENHANCED NEAR-INFRARED EMISSION OF Er 3+ -DOPED TELLURITE GLASS CONTAINING SILVER NANOPARTICLES

摘要

The broadband luminescence of the Er 3+ -doped glasses is an excellent optical feature to develop the teleco mmunication devices. In this report, the effect of silver nanoparticles (NPs) on the near-infrared luminescence properties of Er 3+ -doped tellurite glasses is studied. The growth of NPs is attained by heat-treatment above the glass transition temperature. Transmission electron microscop ic technique revealed the presence of NPs with average size of 14 nm. Under 980 nm excitation wavelength, the broadband of Er 3+ ions is enhanced by increasing the heat-treatment duration up to 10 h. The involved mechanisms are described to discuss the observed enhancement.