Emission efficiency at 1 µm from low Yb³⁺ concentrated tellurite glass-ceramics: Alternative materials for the future rare-earth metal shortage

Abstract

Glasses in the TeO2-ZnO-Bi2O3 system were prepared with up to 2.5 mol% of Yb2O3 using standard melting process and their crystallization process was investigated for the first time. No concentration quenching was observed. The thermal treatment leads to surface precipitation of crystals, the composition of which depends on the Yb2O3 content. The addition of Yb2O3 in the tellurite network promotes the precipitation of Bi2Te4O11 crystals at the expense of Zn2Te3O8 crystals. The growing of these crystals in the low Yb3+ concentrated glass during a thermal treatment increases the interaction between the Yb3+ ions leading to an enhancement of the Yb3+ emission properties which reach those of highly Yb3+ concentrated tellurite glass. Our study suggests that a thermal treatment can be a practical alternative to increase the emission efficiency of the glass prepared with 0.5 mol% of Yb2O3 to the level of the as-prepared glass doped with 2.5 mol% of Yb2O3.