Improvement of Fluorescence Characteristics of Er3+-Doped Fluoride Glass by Ce3+ Codoping

The fluorescence characteristics of Ce3+:Er3+ codoped fluoride glass are reported. It is observed that the decay rate of the 4I11/2 state of Er3+ increased by increasing the Ce3+ concentration. Further, the branching ratio for the transition from the 4I11/2 state to the 4I13/2 state of Er3+ increased from 0.20 to 0.95 by codoping 6.0 mol% Ce3+ into Er3+-doped ZBLAN-H fluoride glass. As a result, the 1.55 ?m fluorescence quantum yield has been significantly improved.