Photosensitive erbium doped tin-silicate glass

Erbium doped tin-silicate samples were prepared by sol-gel method. Optical absorption, infrared photoluminescence at 1.5 mum from I-4(13/2)-I-4(15/2) Er3+ electronic transition and data of refractive index change after exposure to 266 nm pulsed radiation were collected. The results show that Er-doped tin-silicate can be produced by the proposed sol-gel method with photosensitivity comparable to that of only tin-doped silica, showing refractive index changes up to 4 x 10(-4).