Target dependent femtosecond laser plasma implantation dynamics in enabling silica for high density erbium doping

Abstract

Chemical dissimilarity of tellurium oxide with silica glass increases phase separation and crystallization tendency when mixed and melted for making a glass. We report a novel technique for incorporating an Er3+-doped tellurite glass composition into silica substrates through a femtosecond (fs) laser generated plasma assisted process. The engineered material consequently exhibits the spectroscopic properties of Er3+-ions, which are unachievable in pure silica and implies this as an ideal material for integrated photonics platforms. Formation of a well-defined metastable and homogeneous glass structure with Er3+-ions in a silica network, modified with tellurite has been characterized using high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The chemical and structural analyses using HRTEM, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and laser excitation techniques, confirm that such fs-laser plasma implanted glasses may be engineered for significantly higher concentration of Er3+-ions without clustering, validated by the record high lifetime-density product 0.96 × 1019 s.cm−3. Characterization of planar optical layers and photoluminescence emission spectra were undertaken to determine their thickness, refractive indices and photoluminescence properties, as a function of Er3+ concentration via different target glasses. The increased Er3+ content in the target glass enhance the refractive index and photoluminescence intensity of the modified silica layer whilst the lifetime and thickness decrease.

Near-infrared wavelength-dependent nonlinear transmittance tailoring in glass ceramics containing Er3+:LaF3nanocrystals

“…The ultimate motivation for future optical commutation technologies is to rely on all-optical network, which promotes us to study optical modulation performances of materials for future all-optical switches. 7,[11][12][13] Among RE ions, Er 3+ ions exhibit sharp near-infrared (NIR) absorption peaks, [14][15][16][17] which has excellent NLO absorption features for NIR wavelengths. 3 Over recent decades, amounts of progress has been made in the development of NLO properties with large NLO responses, particularly in carbon-based materials, 4-9 organic materials, 10 and rare-earth (RE) ions doped inorganic materials.…”

Platform manufacturing technique for next generation integrated photonic components

“…Modifications to this technique have allowed for a novel material manufacturing platform to be discovered which is capable of implanting a highly homogenous, metastable layer in an existing substrates surface, such as silica or silicon, called ultrafast laser plasma implantation (ULPI) [2]. A key characteristic in this process is the ability to implant large ionic radii elements such as lanthanides into a glassy matrix such as silica to depths of several microns, whilst maintaining the native glass network.…”

Doping silica beyond limits with laser plasma for active photonic materials

“…Indeed, the two target approach enhanced the RETS layer characteristics still further. This is attained by the lower RE concentrations of the target glass enabling a thicker RETS layer formation on silica for a given processing time [14]. Additionally, this aids in the realization of a homogeneous distribution of doped ions in larger average spacing, permitting higher doping concentration without significant fluorescence quenching.…”

“…The technique allows us to transcend thermodynamic barriers to achieve unique compositions, which otherwise is impossible to fabricate via conventional methods. The modified silica layer thickness and PL lifetimes can be precisely controlled by process parameters, as shown elsewhere [14].…”