Investigation of visible emission induced by infrared femtosecond pulses in erbium-doped YVO4 and LuVO4 single crystals

Illumination of single crystal samples of erbium-doped YVO4 and LuVO4 by infrared femtosecond pulses brings about an intense green luminescence assigned to the 4S3/2 - 4I15/2 transition of Er3+ ions. When lowering the sample temperature an additional broad band in the blue related to the VO43− emiss...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of luminescence 2013-12, Vol.144, p.217-222
Main Authors: Ryba-Romanowski, Witold, Macalik, Bogusław, Strzęp, Adam, Lisiecki, Radosław, Solarz, Piotr, Kowalski, Robert M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bands
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Erbium
Exact sciences and technology
Excitation
Femtosecond pulses
Femtosecond pulses excitation
Free electrons
Illumination
Infrared
Luminescence
Optical constants: refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity
Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation
Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films
Physics
Up-conversion phenomena
Vanadate crystals
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Summary:Illumination of single crystal samples of erbium-doped YVO4 and LuVO4 by infrared femtosecond pulses brings about an intense green luminescence assigned to the 4S3/2 - 4I15/2 transition of Er3+ ions. When lowering the sample temperature an additional broad band in the blue related to the VO43− emission appears and next grows steadily. It has been observed that the variation of wavelength of incident infrared femtosecond pulses in the region 800nm–1600nm affects weakly the intensity of both the blue and green luminescence bands. Analysis of luminescence dynamics made it possible to reveal that upon infrared excitation the rise time of the 4S3/2 luminescence is longer by a factor of four, roughly as compared to that recorded upon direct excitation into high energy levels of Er3+. Observed temperature dependence of up-converted blue and green luminescence implies that the energy transfer from vanadate groups cannot be considered as a main mechanism involved in the excitation erbium ions. It has been supposed that erbium ions are likely to be excited by energy transfer from free electrons created in the conduction band of the host by multiphoton excitation and /or by non-resonant multi-step ETU process involving absorption of infrared light in multiphonon side bands of electronic transitions. Creation of free electrons has been corroborated by changes of electrical conductivity of crystals induced by an illumination with infrared femtosecond pulses. •Processes of interaction of ultrashort light pulses with pure and rare earth-doped vanadate crystals are considered.•Effect and mechanism of excitation of up-converted visible luminescence initiated by infrared femtosecond pulses are examined.•The unlike phenomena was observed in relation to excitation with nanosecond or longer lasting light pulses.•The energy transfer from free electrons to erbium ions is concluded.
ISSN:0022-2313
1872-7883
DOI:10.1016/j.jlumin.2013.07.004