Gain properties of germanate glasses singly doped with Tm3+ and Ho3+ ions

Two kinds of germanate glasses singly doped with the ion concentration of 2.0mol.%Tm3+ and 2.0mol.%Ho3+, respectively, were prepared. According to McCumber theory, the absorption and stimulated emission cross-sections corresponding to the 3H6↔3F4 transitions of Tm3+ (at 1.8 µm) and the 5I8↔5I7 transitions of Ho3+ (at 2.0 µm) were obtained, and respective gain cross-section spectra were also computed as a function of population inversion according to absorption and emission cross-sections and the ion concentrations. For Tm3+-doped germanate glasses, the maximum of the absorption, emission, and gain cross-sections reached a value higher than those reported for fluorozirconate, fluoride, and oxyfluoride glasses. For Ho3+-doped germanate glasses, the maximum of absorption, emission, and gain cross-sections reached a value higher than that reported for fluorozircoaluminate glasses. Hence, these Tm3+-doped and Ho3+-doped germanate glasses exhibited an advantage for application in mid-infrared lasers at about 1.8 and 2.0 µm wavelength.