Optical spectroscopy, 1.5 μm emission and up-conversion properties of Er3+-doped Li3Ba2Gd3(MoO4)8 crystal

Er3+:Li3Ba2Gd3(MoO4)8 crystal has been grown from a melt of Li2MoO4 by the top seeded solution growth method (TSSG). The polarized spectral properties of Er3+:Li3Ba2Gd3(MoO4)8 crystal were investigated and the spectroscopic parameters were calculated and analyzed based on the Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory. The emission cross-sections were calculated by the Fuchtbauer–Ladenburg (F–L) equation and the peak values of the emission band at 1535 nm were 9.7×10−21, 7.9×10−21 and 8.4×10−21 cm2 for E∥b, E∥D1 and E∥D2, respectively. Under 977 nm excitation five up-conversion fluorescence bands around 490, 530, 550, 660 and 800 nm were observed, and the possible up-conversion mechanisms were proposed.