An Investigation of the Photonic Application of TeO2-K2TeO3-Nb2O5-BaF2 Glass Co-Doped with Er2O3/Ho2O3 and Er2O3/Yb2O3 at 1.54 μm Based on Its Thermal and Luminescence Properties

A glass composition using TeO₂-K₂TeO₃-Nb₂O₅-BaF₂ co-doped with Er₂O₃/Ho₂O₃ and Er₂O₃/Yb₂O₃ was successfully fabricated. Its thermal stability and physical parameters were studied, and luminescence spectroscopy of the fabricated glasses was conducted. The optical band gap, <i>E</i>_opt, decreased from 2.689 to 2.663 eV following the substitution of Ho₂O₃ with Yb₂O₃. The values of the refractive index, third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾), and nonlinear refractive index (n₂) of the fabricated glasses were estimated. Furthermore, the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ωt (t=2,4,6), radiative properties such as transition probabilities (<i>A_ed</i>), magnetic dipole-type transition probabilities (<i>A_md</i>), branching ratios (<i>β</i>), and radiative lifetime (τ) of the fabricated glasses were evaluated. The emission cross-section and FWHM of the ⁴<i>I</i>_13/2→⁴<i>I</i>_15/2 transition around 1.54 μm of the glass were reported, and the emission intensity of the visible signal was studied under 980 nm laser excitation. The material might be a useful candidate for solid lasers and nonlinear amplifier devices, especially in the communications bands.