Optical spectroscopy of erbium doped monocrystalline vanadium dioxide

The insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) is promising for applications in optoelectronic switching devices. The IMT is reversible, involves dramatic changes in the optical and electrical properties, and can be triggered both optically and electrically. Furthermore, the IMT is extremely fast when excited by ultra-short optical pulses. Using this method, one transition cycle can be accomplished within a picosecond. Combining VO₂ with optically active erbium ions (Er³⁺) grants an optical-amplification capability to the material. This feature is appealing for research, especially since the luminescence of Er³⁺ lies at the standard wavelength for fiberoptic communication system. This paper presents a study on the optical spectroscopy of monocrystalline VO₂:Er and an empirical determination of the Er³⁺ transition energies in VO₂.