Principles and applications of rare earth ion-doped nanoparticles

Abstract

This article presents some fundamental properties of nanoparticles of insulating materials doped with rare earth ions as optically active centers. In the nano-regime, the effects of confinement can affect the optical properties. These affects are well known in semiconductors such as CdS or CdSe, where the particle size dictates the band gap, and hence the particle's absorption and emission properties. In the case of insulators, such affects are less important. For insulators, the optical properties are affected by the particle size mainly through (1) the reduced phonon density of states and (2) the role of the surface and near-surface sites occupied by the rare earth ion. In this article we examine the fundamental physics of these systems, and call attention to various experiments in which these affects have been observed. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.