Optical properties of Er3+-doped strontium barium niobate nanocrystals obtained by thermal treatment in glass

Measurements of the optical properties of Er3+ ions in strontium barium niobate glass and glass ceramics have been carried out. The glasses have been fabricated using a melt-quenching method, and the glass ceramic samples have been obtained from the glass precursor by a thermal treatment. The ceramic samples formed by a glassy phase, and a crystalline phase contains nanocrystals of Sr1−xBaxNb2O6 (SBN) doped with Er3+ ions with a mean size of ∼50 nm, as confirmed with XRD. Green up-conversion emission has been obtained under excitation at 800 nm, and the temporal evolution of this emission has been reported with the purpose of determining the involved up-conversion mechanism. These optical measures have confirmed that the Er3+ ions have been incorporated into the SBN matrix, after a thermal treatment, which produced an increment of the up-conversion efficiency.