Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er3+/Tm3+: PbF2 mid-Infrared Laser Crystal

Liao, Jiayu; Chen, Qiudi; Niu, Xiaochen; Zhang, Peixiong; Tan, Huiyu; Ma, Fengkai; Li, Zhen; Zhu, Siqi; Hang, Yin; Yang, Qiguo; Chen, Zhenqiang

doi:10.3390/cryst11091024

Open AccessArticle

Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er³⁺/Tm³⁺: PbF₂ mid-Infrared Laser Crystal

by

Jiayu Liao

^1,2,3,†,

Qiudi Chen

^1,2,3,†,

Xiaochen Niu

^1,2,3,

Peixiong Zhang

^1,2,3,*,

Huiyu Tan

^1,2,3,

Fengkai Ma

^1,2,3,

Zhen Li

^1,2,3,

Siqi Zhu

^1,2,3,

Yin Hang

⁴,

Qiguo Yang

⁵ and

Zhenqiang Chen

^1,2,3

¹

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Guangzhou 510630, China

²

Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Crystal and Laser Technology, Guangzhou 510632, China

³

Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China

⁴

Key Laboratory of High Power Laser Materials, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China

⁵

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Ultrashort Pulse Laser Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contribute equally to this work.

Crystals 2021, 11(9), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11091024

Submission received: 22 July 2021 / Revised: 15 August 2021 / Accepted: 24 August 2021 / Published: 26 August 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Middle Infrared Laser Crystals and Its Applications)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

An efficient enhancement of 2.78 μm emission from the transition of Er³⁺: ⁴I_11/2 → ⁴I_13/2 by Tm³⁺ introduction in the Er/Tm: PbF₂ crystal was grown by the Bridgman technique for the first time. The spectroscopic properties, energy transfer mechanism, and first-principles calculations of as-grown crystals were investigated in detail. The co-doped Tm³⁺ ion can offer an appropriate sensitization and deactivation effect for Er³⁺ ion at the same time in PbF₂ crystal under the pump of conventional 800 nm laser diodes (LDs). With the introduction of Tm³⁺ ion into the Er³⁺: PbF₂ crystal, the Er/Tm: PbF₂ crystal exhibited an enhancing 2.78 μm mid-infrared (MIR) emission. Furthermore, the cyclic energy transfer mechanism that contains several energy transfer processes and cross-relaxation processes was proposed, which would well achieve the population inversion between the Er³⁺: ⁴I_11/2 and Er³⁺: ⁴I_13/2 levels. First-principles calculations were performed to find that good performance originates from the uniform distribution of Er³⁺ and Tm³⁺ ions in PbF₂ crystal. This work will provide an avenue to design MIR laser materials with good performance.

Keywords: 2.78 μm mid-infrared emission; Er/Tm; PbF₂ laser crystal; energy transfer mechanism; first-principles calculation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Liao, J.; Chen, Q.; Niu, X.; Zhang, P.; Tan, H.; Ma, F.; Li, Z.; Zhu, S.; Hang, Y.; Yang, Q.; et al. Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er³⁺/Tm³⁺: PbF₂ mid-Infrared Laser Crystal. Crystals 2021, 11, 1024. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11091024

AMA Style

Liao J, Chen Q, Niu X, Zhang P, Tan H, Ma F, Li Z, Zhu S, Hang Y, Yang Q, et al. Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er³⁺/Tm³⁺: PbF₂ mid-Infrared Laser Crystal. Crystals. 2021; 11(9):1024. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11091024

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liao, Jiayu, Qiudi Chen, Xiaochen Niu, Peixiong Zhang, Huiyu Tan, Fengkai Ma, Zhen Li, Siqi Zhu, Yin Hang, Qiguo Yang, and et al. 2021. "Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er³⁺/Tm³⁺: PbF₂ mid-Infrared Laser Crystal" Crystals 11, no. 9: 1024. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11091024

APA Style

Liao, J., Chen, Q., Niu, X., Zhang, P., Tan, H., Ma, F., Li, Z., Zhu, S., Hang, Y., Yang, Q., & Chen, Z. (2021). Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er³⁺/Tm³⁺: PbF₂ mid-Infrared Laser Crystal. Crystals, 11(9), 1024. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11091024

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Energy Transfer and Cross-Relaxation Induced Efficient 2.78 μm Emission in Er³⁺/Tm³⁺: PbF₂ mid-Infrared Laser Crystal

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI