Broadband near-infrared emission from Cr4+-doped transparent Zn1.7SiO4 glass ceramics.

Transparent Cr4+ doped SiO2–Al2O3–ZnO–Li2O–K2O glass ceramics were prepared by conventional melting method. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the Zn1.7SiO4 nanocrystals were precipitated in the glass matrix after heating treat between 625°C and 700°C for 2h. The crystallite size is about 5nm after the heat treatment was performed at 650°C. The energy levels of Cr4+-doped glass ceramics are close to the cross of 1 E and 3 T states. Broad infrared luminescence centered at 1307nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of more than 246nm was observed from the sample heat treated at 650°C excited by an 808nm excitation laser diode. And the lifetime was about 1.97μs at 1307nm. The results show the transparent glass ceramics containing Cr4+-doped Zn1.7SiO4 have potential application in optical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]