Spectroscopic properties of 0.1-5.0 mol% Bi2O3-doped lithium aluminosilicate (Bi-LAS) glasses for ultra-broadband near-infrared gain media have been investigated. Broad emissions, more than 500 nmfull width at half maximum (FWHM), were observed from each Bi-LAS glass studied. Bismuth concentration and excitation wavelength affected the spectral profiles of the Bi-LAS glasses. The emission bands shifted toward longer wavelengths with increasing the Bi2O3 contents. The broadest emission, which covered the range 950-1700 nm, was realized when the 5.0 Bi-LAS glass was excited at 920 nm. The emission consisted of three Gaussian peaks, and the products of the stimulated emission cross section and the lifetime, σ_(em)τ, for the peaks were 1.7x10~(-23), 9.0x10~(-24) and 3.9x10~(-24) cm~2s. These high σ_(em)τ values indicate that Bi-LAS glasses have significant potential as novel broadband gain media for amplifiers and tunable lasers.
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