Preparation and characterization of Er3+-Yb3+-Ce3+ co-doped transparent glass ceramic containing nano Ca5(PO4)3F crystals

A transparent glass ceramic tri-doped with Ce3+/Er3+/Yb3+ was fabricated by the high-temperature melting technique and following heat-treatment. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope results demonstrated that Ca5(PO4)3F(FAP) nanocrystals, possessed with preferable emission performances for the 1.54 μm transition for doping Er3+, were homogeneously precipitated among the glass matrix with a mean size of 30 nm. Addition of Ce3+ greatly enhanced 1.54 μm fluorescence of Er3+ by the cross relaxation energy transfer between Er3+ and Ce3+. Meanwhile, incorporation of Ce3+ dramatically decreased the visible upconversion emission intensity of glass ceramic than that of glass, suggesting that Ce3+ might incorporate into the FAP nanocrystals. The properties of this transparent glass ceramic showed the potential application as an efficient 980 nm pumped infrared laser medium.