Comparison of selected optical properties of oxyfluoride glass fibers doped with Er 3+ and co-doped with Er 3+ Yb 3+

Abstract

The method of manufacturing and spectroscopic evaluation of the Er 3+ ions doped and Er 3+-Yb 3+co-doped SiO 2-Al 2O 3-Na 2CO 3-CaO-PbO- PbF 2 oxyfluoride glass fibers is presented in the paper. Both optically active elements erbium and ytterbium were introduced into the batch in the form of fluorides. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was applied at each stage of fibers manufacturing in order to control an amorphous structure of the preforms and fibers. Optical studies of glass preforms and fibers (reflection/transmission, absorption, emission, and excited state absorption (ESA)) were directed to examine their suitability as fiber amplifiers at 1.55 μm band. © The Author(s) 2011.