Spectral Properties of Erbium-Doped Oxyfluoride Silicate Glasses for Broadband Optical Amplifiers

The new oxyfluoride silicate glasses of Er³⁺-doped 50SiO₂-(50-x)PbO-xPbF₂ were prepared. With increasing PbF₂ content in the glass composition, the fluorescence full width at half max maximum and lifetimes of the ⁴I_13/2 level of Er³⁺ increase, while the refractive indices and densities decrease. Er³⁺-doped 50SiO₂-50PbF₂ glass showed broad fluorescence spectra of 1.55μm with a large stimulated emission cross-section and long lifetimes of ⁴I_13/2 level of Er³⁺. Compared with other glass hosts, the gain bandwidth properties of Er³⁺-doped 50SiO₂-50PbF₂ glass are close to those of tellurite and bismuth glasses, and have advantages over those of silicate, phosphate and germante glasses. The broad and flat ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2 emission of Er³⁺ around 1.55μm can be used as host material for potential broadband optical amplifier in wavelength-division-multiplexing network system.