Influence of temperature on the photoluminescence efficiency of chalcogenide GeS2-Ga2S3-Er2S3 glasses

The photoluminescence (PL) excited with 514.5 nm light of the (GeS2)(80)(Ga2S3)(20) glassy host doped with Er at low temperatures from 4.2 to 300 K has been studied. It has been found that the PL efficiency is maximum at 1.22 at.% Er and considerably increases by temperature decreasing down to 4.2 K and excitation power increasing till 200 mW cm(-2). The PL emission band from Er3+ state at around 1538 nm, attributed to the I-4(15/2) -> I-4(13/2) transition, has been characterized by deconvoluting the experimental spectra. The intensity variation of the obtained subbands at 1538 +/- 1, 1547 +/- 2 and 1575 +/- 7 nm with Er content and temperature has been specified and the extracted fine features have been evaluated with a view to enhanced PL efficiency. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.