Near-infrared quantum cutting in RE3+/Yb3+ (RE=Pr, Tb, and Tm): GeO2–B2O3–ZnO–LaF3 glasses via downconversion

Abstract: An efficient near-infrared (NIR) quantum cutting (QC) involving the emission of two near-infrared photons for each blue photon absorbed is realized in RE3+/Yb3+ (RE=Pr, Tb, and Tm): GeO2–B2O3–ZnO–LaF3 glasses. Upon excitation of Pr3+, Tb3+, and Tm3+ ions with visible photons at 482, 483, and 467nm two near-infrared photons at 950–1100nm (Yb3+:2F5/2 → 2F7/2) through an efficient cooperative energy transfer from Pr3+, Tb3+, and Tm3+ to Yb3+, with an optimal quantum efficiency close to 200% has been demonstrated. The development of the near-infrared quantum cutting oxyfluoride glasses could open a route in achieving high efficiency silicon-based solar cells by means of downconversion in the visible part of the solar spectrum to ∼1000nm photons with a two fold increase in the photon number. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]