Dual super-broadband NIR emissions in Pr3+-Er3+-Nd3+ tri-doped tellurite glass

Abstract Pr3+-, Er3+-, and Nd3+-doped tellurite glasses were synthesized via traditional melting and quenching, and two super-broad near-infrared 800–1100 nm and 1250–1650 nm emission bands were observed simultaneously in the as-prepared Pr3+-Er3+-Nd3+ tri-doped glass sample under a 488 nm xenon lamp. The 800–1100 nm emission band was caused by the spectral overlapping of Pr3+:3P1,0 → 1G4, Pr3+:1D2→3F4,3, Er3+:4S3/2 → 4I11/2, Er3+:4I11/2 → 4I15/2, Nd3+:4F3/2 → 4I9/2, and Nd3+:4F3/2 → 4I11/2 radiation transitions, while the 1250–1650 nm emission band was produced by the Nd3+:4F3/2 → 4I13/2, Pr3+:1G4→3H5, Pr3+:1D2→1G4, Pr3+:3F3→3H4, and Er3+:4I13/2 → 4I15/2 radiation transitions, and the latter had a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of approximately 296 nm. The results demonstrate that tellurite glass tri-doped with appropriate concentrations of Pr3+, Er3+, and Nd3+ ions can be applied to many fields such as medical imaging, broadband fiber amplifiers, and broadband lighting sources at the same time.