Department of Physics & Astronomy, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47306, USA.
Opt Lett. 2010 Sep 15;35(18):3117-9. doi: 10.1364/OL.35.003117.
Sputter-deposited thin-film amorphous AlN:Er (1 at. %) emits at 554 and 561 nm as a result of (2)H(11/2)→(4)I(15/2) and (4)S(3/2)→(4)I(15/2) transitions. AlN:Yb (1 at. %) gives a weak emission peak at 966 nm as a result of (2)F(5/2)→(2)F(7/2). The codoping of Er and Yb in AlN results in energy transfer from Er(+3) to Yb(+3) and enhances the Yb(+3) emissions by an order of magnitude. Transfer of electrons occurs from the (4)S(3/2) state of Er(+3) to the (2)F(5/2) state of Yb(+3). The weak emission from Yb(+3), when excited by a 532 nm laser in the absence of Er(+3), confirms that the luminescence enhancement in ytterbium is due to energy transfer and not to direct green light excitation by the erbium emission. A possibility of population inversion and a four-level laser cavity formation exists in the Er(+3)-Yb(+3) system.
溅射沉积的非晶 AlN:Er（1 原子%）由于 (2)H(11/2)→(4)I(15/2) 和 (4)S(3/2)→(4)I(15/2) 跃迁而在 554nm 和 561nm 处发射。AlN:Yb（1 原子%）由于 (2)F(5/2)→(2)F(7/2) 而在 966nm 处产生弱发射峰。Er(+3) 和 Yb(+3) 在 AlN 中的共掺杂导致能量从 Er(+3)转移到 Yb(+3)，并使 Yb(+3) 的发射增强一个数量级。电子从 Er(+3)的 (4)S(3/2)态转移到 Yb(+3)的 (2)F(5/2)态。当没有 Er(+3)时，用 532nm 激光激发时，Yb(+3)的弱发射证实了镱的发光增强是由于能量转移而不是由铒发射直接激发绿光。在 Er(+3)-Yb(+3)系统中存在粒子数反转和四能级激光腔形成的可能性。
