Regulation of bismuth valence in nano-porous silica glass for near infrared ultra-wideband optical amplification

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.08.157
• Publication Date: 2021-08-17T17:18:24Z
• Authors: Dongchen Zhang; Suyu Wang; Yongguang Liu; Weiquan Su; Ning Zhang; Zichang Liu; Zihang Wang; Luyun Yang; Jianrong Qiu
• Keywords: Bismuth

Abstract The ultra-wideband near-infrared (NIR) emission of Bi-doped glass and fiber makes it play an increasingly important role in laser technology and optical communication system. However, challenge remains to grasp the original of NIR emission and manipulate the valence state of bismuth for efficient Bi-doped fiber lasers and amplifiers. In this article, we present a facile method to control the valence of bismuth by using one kind of porous host, the nano-porous silica glass (NPSG). Bi-doped silicate glass with novel NIR emission was obtained in NPSG based on glass phase separation technology (GPST). The valence state and NIR luminescence of bismuth can be controlled by sintering of NPSGs impregnated with Al 3 + and P 5 + ions in inert atmosphere. Three kinds of bismuth active centers (BACs) with their own fluorescence characteristics are formed in NPSG. Al can disperse bismuth active centers (BACs) to enhance O band NIR emission; P can promote the reduction of bismuth in glass to produce up-conversion and S+C+L+U band NIR emission. This work pushes us to take a big step towards understanding the truth of NIR emission of bismuth. The GPST may serve as key technology for efficient Bi-doped fiber lasers and amplifiers.