MgO-codoping effects on the spectroscopic properties of Er3+ -doped LiNbO3

Optical absorption, spectrally resolved polarized upconversion fluorescence, and time-resolved luminescence spectra are used to investigate the Er3+ spectroscopic properties in a series of congruent LiNbO3 crystals codoped with Er3+ (1 mol %) and MgO (X mol %, X=0, 2, 4, 6, and 8). The absorption spectra indicate that the transition cross section of Er3+ ions decreases with increasing MgO concentration; it is explained as the improvement of the Er3+ -site symmetries. A new Er3+ energy site with low energy, which appears in the long wavelength side of the polarized fluorescence spectra for the samples heavily codoped with MgO, is demonstrated in the time-resolved luminescence spectra. An important finding is that mild codoping with MgO clearly does not facilitate the formation of clustered sites, whereas heavy codoping clearly does facilitate it in Er3+ -doped LiNbO3 crystals. These results are important to those who consider the material as a 1.5 μm laser or fiber optical cable.