Spectroscopic properties of Er3+-doped Na2O–Sb2O3–B2O3–SiO2 glasses

Spectroscopic properties of Er3+-doped Na2O–Sb2O3–B2O3–SiO2 glasses have been investigated for developing 1.5-μm broadband fiber amplifiers. An intense 1.5-μm near infrared emission with a broad full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 88 nm has been obtained for Er3+-doped 5Na2O–20Sb2O3–35B2O3–40SiO2 glass upon excitation with a 980 nm laser diode. The obtained emission cross-section of the 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition and the lifetime of the 4I13/2 level of Er3+ ions are 6.8 × 10−21 cm2 and 0.36 ms, respectively. It is noted that the product of the emission cross-section and the FWHM of the glass, σe × FWHM, is as great as 598.4 × 10−21 cm2 nm, which is comparable or higher than that of Er3+-doped bismuth-based and tellurite-based glasses. These special optical properties encourage in identifying them as important materials for potential applications in high performance optics and optical communication networks.