Optical properties of directly excited erbium (Er3+) ions have been studied in silicon rich silicon oxide materials codoped with Er3+. The spectral dependence of the direct excitation cross section (sigma(dir)) of the Er3+ atomic (4)/(15/2) -> (4)/(11/2) transition (around 0.98 mu m) has been measured by time resolved mu-photoluminescence measurements. We have determined that sigma(dir) is 9.0 +/- 1.5 x 10(-21) cm(2) at 983 nm, at least twice larger than the value determined on a stoichiometric SiO2 matrix. This result, in combination with a measurement of the population of excited Er3+ as a function of the pumping flux, has allowed quantifying accurately the amount of optically active Er3+. This concentration is, in the best of the cases, 26% of the total Er population measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry, which means that only this percentage could provide optical gain in an eventual optical amplifier based oil this material. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3253753]
Optically active Er3+ ions in SiO2 codoped with Si nanoclusters
Pitanti A;
2009-01-01
Abstract
Optical properties of directly excited erbium (Er3+) ions have been studied in silicon rich silicon oxide materials codoped with Er3+. The spectral dependence of the direct excitation cross section (sigma(dir)) of the Er3+ atomic (4)/(15/2) -> (4)/(11/2) transition (around 0.98 mu m) has been measured by time resolved mu-photoluminescence measurements. We have determined that sigma(dir) is 9.0 +/- 1.5 x 10(-21) cm(2) at 983 nm, at least twice larger than the value determined on a stoichiometric SiO2 matrix. This result, in combination with a measurement of the population of excited Er3+ as a function of the pumping flux, has allowed quantifying accurately the amount of optically active Er3+. This concentration is, in the best of the cases, 26% of the total Er population measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry, which means that only this percentage could provide optical gain in an eventual optical amplifier based oil this material. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3253753]I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
