C. Jacinto

Pump-power-controlled luminescence switching in Yb3+/Tm3+ codoped water-free low silica calcium aluminosilicate glasses

Intense infrared-to-visible upconversion emissions in Tm3+∕Yb3+ codoped water-free low silica calcium aluminosilicate glasses have been obtained under excitation at 976nm. The results showed that as the pump power/intensity is increased, a reduction of up to one order of magnitude at the 800∕480nm emitted intensity ratio is observed; characterizing what can be denominated as luminescent switching. The physical origin of this switching is discussed and explained in terms of the tailoring of luminescent switchers to operate in a large range of pump powers, what could be used in the development of sensors and networks for optical processing and optical communications.

Spectroscopic properties of Er3+-doped lead phosphate glasses for photonic application

The spectroscopic characteristics of Er3+-doped lead phosphate glasses have been investigated, and Judd?Ofelt analysis was used to evaluate the effect of increasing the Er3+ content on the glass matrices. The intensity-dependent Judd?Ofelt parameters, ?(4) and ?(6), remained constant while ?(2) decreased. The concentration quenching effect on the lifetime of the Er3+?:?4I13/2 ?4 I15/2 (1530?nm) transition is also evaluated as a result of the addition of Er3+ to the lead phosphate glass composition. The observed relatively large reduction in the lifetime reflects the significant effects of non-radiative processes in this system. The potential use of these glasses as photonic devices is also discussed.

Color tunability with temperature and pump intensity in Yb3+/Tm3+ codoped aluminosilicate glass under anti-Stokes excitation

Pump and thermally induced color tunabilities were demonstrated in Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) codoped low silica calcium aluminosilicate (LSCAS) glass under anti-Stokes excitation at 1.064 microm. The effects of pump intensity and samples temperature on the upconversion emissions and mainly on the color tunabilities (from 800 to 480 nm) were investigated. The results revealed a 20- and a threefold reductions at 800/480 nm ratio as, respectively, the pump intensity and samples temperature were increased from 27 to 700 kW/cm(2) and from 296 to 577 K. These behaviors with pump intensity and temperature (a strong increase of the 480 nm emission in comparison with the 800 nm one) were attributed to the several efficient processes occurring in the LSCAS system (Yb(3+)-->Tm(3+) energy-transfer processes, easy saturations of the Yb(3+) and Tm(3+) excited states, and radiative emissions). Besides these assigns, the temperature dependence is mainly assigned to the temperature-dependent effective absorption cross section of the ytterbium sensitizer through the so-called multiphonon-assisted anti-Stokes excitation process. Theoretical analyses and fits of the experimental data provided quantitative information.

Thermal lens study of energy transfer in Yb(3+)/Tm(3+)-co-doped glasses.

Energy transfer (ET) and heat generation processes in Yb(3+)/Tm(3+)-co-doped low-silica calcium-aluminosilicate glasses were investigated using thermal lens and photoluminescence measurements. Stepwise ET processes from Yb(3+) to Tm(3+), with excitation at 0.976 mum, produced efficient emission in the mid-infrared range at around 1.8 mum, with high fluorescence quantum efficiency (~0.50) and relatively low thermal loading (</=0.42). An equation was deduced for the description of the thermal lens results which provided the absolute value of the ET efficiency and optimal Tm3+ concentration that result in population of the 1.8 mum Tm(3+) emitting level. These results suggest that the studied co-doped system would be a promising candidate for the construction of high-power diode-pumped solid-state lasers in the mid-infrared range, which are especially important for the purpose of medical procedures.

Thermal lens and heat generation of Nd:YAG lasers operating at 1.064 and 1.34 µm

We report on a simple and accurate method for determination of thermo-optical and spectroscopic parameters (thermal diffusivity, temperature coefficient of the optical path length change, pump and fluorescence quantum efficiencies, thermal loading, thermal lens focal length, etc) of relevance in the thermal lensing of end-pumped neodymium lasers operating at 1.06- and 1.3- microm channels. The comparison between thermal lensing observed in presence and absence of laser oscillation has been used to elucidate and evaluate the contribution of quantum efficiency and excited sate absorption processes to the thermal loading of Nd:YAG lasers.

1.319 μm excited intense 800 nm frequency upconversion emission in Tm3+-doped fluorogermanate glass

Generation of near-infrared light within the first biological optical window via frequency upconversion in Tm3+-doped PbGeO3-PbF2-CdF2 glass excited within the second biological window at 1.319 μm is reported. The upconversion emission at 800 nm is the sole light signal observed in the entire ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectral region making it possible obtaining high contrast imaging. The dependence of the 800 nm signal upon the sample temperature was investigated and results showed an increase by a factor of ×2.5 in the 30–280 °C range. Generation of detectable 690 nm for temperatures above 100 °C in addition to the intense 800 nm main signal was also observed. The proposed excitation mechanism for the 800 nm thulium emitting level is assigned to a multiphonon-assisted excitation from the ground-state 3H6 to the 3H5 excited-state level, a rapid relaxation to the 3F4 level and followed by an excited-state absorption of the pump photons mediated by multiphonons connecting the 3F4 level to the 3H4 e...

Thermal lens study of thermo-optical properties and concentration quenching of Er3+-doped lead pyrophosphate-based glasses

In this work, we have used the thermal lens technique combined with conventional spectroscopy to characterize the thermo-optical properties of Er3+-doped lead pyrophosphate-based glasses. More precisely, we have investigated and quantified experimentally the fluorescence quantum efficiencies of the Er3+ levels, and we describe the role of concentration quenching effects. The fluorescence quantum efficiency of the 4I13/2 level is very high when compared to other phosphate glasses, while that of the green-coupled levels is very small. Other important photonic materials parameters, such as the thermal diffusivity and temperature coefficient of the optical path length change, were obtained and compared with those of other glass systems. The cumulative results obtained here for the Er-doped lead pyrophosphate glass show that this material is a good candidate for photonic applications with a characteristic Er3+ infrared emission around 1550 nm.

Thermo-optical characteristics and concentration quenching effects in Nd3+ doped yttrium calcium borate glasses.

In this work we present a comprehensive study of the spectroscopic and thermo-optical properties of a set of samples with composition xNd(2)O(3)-(5-x)Y(2)O(3-)40CaO-55B(2)O(3) (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0 mol%). Their fluorescence quantum efficiency (η) values were determined using the thermal lens technique and the dependence on the ionic concentration was analyzed in terms of energy transfer processes, based on the Förster-Dexter model of multipolar ion-ion interactions. A maximum η = 0.54 was found to be substantially higher than for yttrium aluminoborate crystals and glasses with comparable Nd(3+) content. As for the thermo-optical properties of yttrium calcium borate, they are comparable to other well-known laser glasses. The obtained energy transfer microparameters and the weak dependence of η on the Nd(3+) concentration with a high optimum Nd(3+) concentration put this system as a strong candidate for photonics applications.

Generation of multiwavelength light in the region of the biological windows in Tm3+-doped fiber excited at 1.064 μm

Multiple wavelength infrared light generated within both “optical transmission windows” of biological tissues and blue light triggering photochemical reactions is produced, in Tm3+-doped fiber multi-excited in a single-pass configuration by a single fundamental source at 1.064 μm. In the process, amplified spontaneous emission at 810 nm (∼8 nm bandwidth) and blue emission at 480 nm are generated through frequency upconversion multiwavelength excitation using a single pump source at 1.064 μm and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) Stokes emissions around 1115 nm, 1173 nm, 1226 nm, 1284 nm, and a continuum up to 1400 nm and beyond. The proposed excitation mechanism for 810 nm and 480 nm thulium emissions is assigned to a multiphonon-assisted multiwavelength excitation from the 3H6 ground-state to the 3H5 excited-state, a rapid relaxation to the 3F4 level followed by a excited-state absorption of the pump and SRS Stokes photons mediated by multiphonons connecting the 3F4 level to the 3H4 and 1G4 main emitting ...

Modeling population and thermal lenses in the presence of Auger Upconversion for Nd(3+) doped materials.

We present a theoretical model to thermal (TL) and population (PL) lenses effects in the presence of Auger upconversion (AU) for analysis of Nd(3+) doped materials. The model distinguishes and quantifies the contributions from TL and PL. From the experimental and theoretical results, the AU cannot be neglected because it plays an important role on the excited state population and therefore on the temperature and polarizability difference between excited and ground states. Considering the extensive use of these techniques, the model presented here could be useful for the investigation of materials and also to avoid misleading analysis of lenses transients.