Broad and flat dual-band NIR luminescence from Er3+/Tm3+/Ho3+ tri-doped tellurite glass

We report the near-infrared (NIR) broadband luminescent property of tellurite glasses incorporated with Er3+, Tm3+, and Ho3+ ions. Under the excitation of a commercial 808 nm laser diode, two ultra-broadband and flat NIR luminescent bands ranging from 1350–1600 and 1600–2200 nm with respective full width at half-maximums of 153 and 374 nm. were obtained simultaneously in tellurite glass with an optimal combination of three Er3+−Tm3+−Ho3+ ions. This valuable discovery enables us to develop new, to the best of our knowledge, NIR broadband fiber amplifiers and tunable lasers which can be applied to fields such as optical communication and biomedicine.