Bismuth/Yttria co-doped aluminosilicate fiber: impact of electron irradiation on optical properties

Abstract We report on changes in absorptive, emissive and waveguiding properties of Bismuth doped yttria–aluminosilicate (Bi–Al–Y–Si) fiber under the action of high-energy electrons. In addition to the drastic rise of induced absorption in the fiber as a result of bombardment with electrons (measured by ∼800 dB m −1 in the VIS range at the maximal irradiation dose of ∼200 KGy(SiO 2 ) or 1 × 10 14 cm −2 ), we reveal prominent (∼20 fold at the maximal dose) growth of the fiber emissive potential in NIR (∼1.2 µ m) at its pumping in VIS (at 730 nm), an effect never reported before; both phenomena are inferred to arise due to strong growth of the content of Bi-related active centers, mostly of the Bi(Al) type, at irradiation. We also report for Bi–Al–Y–Si fiber notable radiation-induced changes in the photo-bleaching behavior of the centers throughout the VIS/NIR range. Another point deserving attention is that the Stokes shift of the cutoff wavelength after irradiation is insignificant (∼25 nm at the maximal dose) in this type of fiber.