Spectroscopic Properties of Er3+/Yb3+ -codoped PbO-Bi2O3-Ga2O3-GeO2 glasses

We investigate the spectroscopic properties of the 1.5-microm emission from the (4)I(13/2)-->(4)I(15/2) transition of Er(3+) ions in PbO-Bi(2)O(3)-Ga(2)O(3)-GeO(2) glasses for applications in broadband fiber amplifiers. The measured emission peak locates at 1,532 nm with a full width at half-maximum of approximately 45 nm. The glasses exhibit a large stimulated emission cross-section of 0.89 x 10(-20) cm(2) and a large FWHM x sigma(e)(peak) product of 40.0. Infrared-to-green upconversion occurs simultaneously upon excitation of the 1.5-microm emission with a commercially available 980 nm laser diode. The green-upconversion intensity has a quadratic dependence on incident pump laser power, indicating a two-photon process. Energy transfer processes and nonradiative phonon-assisted decays could account for the population of the (2)H(11/2) of Er(3+). The results indicate the possibility towards the development of lead-bismuth-gallate-germanate based glasses as photonics devices.