Synthesis and optical spectroscopy of oxychloride lead tellurite glasses doped with Tm3+, Er3+ and Ho3+ ions

We report on the synthesis, thermal, vibrational, and spectral-luminescent properties of novel PbCl 2 -TeO 2 oxychloride glasses doped with rare-earth ions (Tm 3+ , Er 3+ , and Ho 3+ ) up to 2 mol % with the goal of developing low-phonon-energy active materials for the short-wave infrared. These glasses are obtained by the conventional melt-quenching technique at a relatively low temperature of 800°C in an air atmosphere. As host matrices, these glasses exhibit good thermal stability (Δ T = 63°C), broadband transparency (0.35 - 6.20 µm), prominent Raman peaks at 90-180 cm -1 attributed to Pb-Cl vibrations, and a relatively low content of OH groups compared to other oxychloride glasses. The broadband luminescence of the dopant ions is observed in the spectral range of 2.00 to 3.00 µm, and the luminescence lifetimes of the excited states responsible for these emissions are exceptionally long among TeO 2 -based oxide and oxyhalide glasses, paving the way for potential applications of these glasses in fiber lasers and amplifiers.