Broadband Er^3+ emission in highly nonlinear Bismuth modified Zinc-Borate glasses

Abstract

Broadband NIR emission from Er 3+ in highly nonlinear zinc-bismuth-borate glasses with full width at half maximum reaching up to 106 nm is reported. The glass compositional effects on thermal, structural, optical and spectroscopic properties have been explored in view of all-optical communication applications. The Zero Dispersion Wavelength of these glasses is found to be varying from 1.46 to 2.26μm. The observed enhancement in fluorescence intensity, lifetime and quantum efficiency of 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 transition with bismuth addition is attributed to reduced multiphonon relaxations with decreased host phonon energy. The gain profile covering C and L-bands of communication windows suggests their potentiality in broad-band amplification. © 2011 Optical Society of America.