Spectroscopic Properties and Thermal Stability of Er~(3+)-Doped FluorideLead Silicate Glasses

Er3+-doped fluoride lead silicate glasses were fabricated. The physical properties, thermal properties, absorption speetra, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetimes of the samples were investigated. The absorption and stimulated emission cross-sections of 4I13/2→4I15/2 transition of the samples were calculated by McCumber theory. The results show that densities, refractive indices, thermal stability, absorption and stimulated emission cross-sections of the samples decrease, but the fluorescence full width at half max maximum and fluorescence lifetimes of the 4I13/2 level of Er3+ increase. Compared with other glass hosts, the gain bandwidth property of Er3+-doped 50SiO2-50PbF2 glass is close to those of tellurite and bismuth glasses, and has advantage over those of silicate, phosphate and germante glasses, which shows that Er3+-doped fluoride lead silicate glasses can be as host materials for broadband optical amplifier.