Investigations of Er3+ doped glasses for 'eye safe' laser systems

Erbium laser glasses have attracted much attention due to their capability for emission of radiation at the 'eye safe' wavelength 1.54 microns. The development of erbium glass laser systems caused new requirements for additional research on improvement in laser glasses properties and their performance. This report describes the effect of variations of erbium, ytterbium and chromium ions and glass base compositions on laser efficiency and improved properties of a new glass base. Spectral properties and laser characteristics of this new glass were measured. Absorption spectra of Er3+ and Yb3+ - doped glasses were measured in a spectral range 190-5000 nm at room temperature. Excitation and luminescence spectra were also recorded at room temperature on a JOBIN-YVON spectrofluorometer using a semiconductor laser (POLAROID 4300, 980 nm, 1 W) as an excitation source. Measurements of lifetime of Er3+ ions in upper laser level (4I13/2) of the samples were made using direct method with pulse excitation. (author)