Near-infrared quantum cutting in Ho3+/Yb3+ codoped nanostructured glass ceramic

A first-order quantum cutting luminescence of Ho3+/Yb3+ couples, which are incorporated in the YF3 nanocrystals embedded in transparent glass ceramic, is reported for the first time, to our knowledge. When Ho3+ is excited with one blue photon, it was experimentally demonstrated that the resonant energy transfer from Ho3+ to Yb3+ occurs, leading to the near-infrared quantum cutting with one Ho3+ photon emitting at 1180 nm and one Yb3+ photon at 980 nm. The theoretical quantum efficiency is evaluated to be 159%.