Infrared Photoluminescence of Nd-Doped Sesquioxide and Fluoride Nanocrystals: A Comparative Study
Fulvia Gennari,
Milica Sekulić,
Tanja Barudžija,
Željka Antić,
Miroslav D. Dramićanin,
Alessandra Toncelli
Affiliations
Fulvia Gennari
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 6127 Pisa, Italy
Milica Sekulić
Centre of Excellence for Photoconversion, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia
Tanja Barudžija
Department of Theoretical Physics and Condensed Matter Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia
Željka Antić
Centre of Excellence for Photoconversion, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia
Miroslav D. Dramićanin
Centre of Excellence for Photoconversion, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia
Alessandra Toncelli
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 6127 Pisa, Italy
Lanthanide ions possess various emission channels in the near-infrared region that are well known in bulk crystals but are far less studied in samples with nanometric size. In this work, we present the infrared spectroscopic characterization of various Nd-doped fluoride and sesquioxide nanocrystals, namely Nd:Y2O3, Nd:Lu2O3, Nd:Sc2O3, Nd:YF3, and Nd:LuF3. Emissions from the three main emission bands in the near-infrared region have been observed and the emission cross-sections have been calculated. Moreover, another decay channel at around 2 μm has been observed and ascribed to the 4F3/2→4I15/2 transition. The lifetime of the 4F3/2 level has been measured under LED pumping. Emission cross-sections for the various compounds are calculated in the 1 μm, 900 nm, and 1.3 μm regions and are of the order of 10−20 cm2 in agreement with the literature results. Those in the 2 μm region are of the order of 10−21 cm2.
