Generation of Vis-NIR light within the first biological optical window via frequency upconversion in Tm3+- and Tm3+/Er3+-doped tellurite glass excited at 1319 nm

A. S. Gouveia-Neto; M. V. D. Vermelho; C. Jacinto; E. A. Gouveia; F. C. Cassanjes

doi:10.1117/12.2207928

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16 March 2016 Generation of Vis-NIR light within the first biological optical window via frequency upconversion in Tm³⁺- and Tm³⁺/Er³⁺-doped tellurite glass excited at 1319 nm

A. S. Gouveia-Neto, M. V. D. Vermelho, C. Jacinto, E. A. Gouveia, F. C. Cassanjes

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Proceedings Volume 9726, Solid State Lasers XXV: Technology and Devices; 97261K (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2207928
Event: SPIE LASE, 2016, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Generation of visible and NIR frequency upconversion emission light within the first biological window spectral region using excitation at 1319 nm in the second biological window in Tm³⁺/Er³⁺-codoped TeO₂-based glass, is demonstrated. Efficient energy upconversion of cw radiation at 1319 nm into near infrared 800 nm emission in Tm³⁺ single-doped 60TeO₂-10GeO₂-10K₂O-10Li2O-10Nb₂O₅ glass is observed. The 800 nm signal is the sole light emission observed in the entire UV-VIS-NIR spectral region. Luminescence emission around 1480 nm, and 1800 nm was also observed. The proposed excitation mechanism for the 800 nm thulium emitting level is assigned to a multiphonon-assisted excitation from the ground-state ³H₆ to the ³H₅ excited-state level, a rapid relaxation to the ³H₄ level and followed by an excited state absorption of the pump photons mediated by multiphonons connecting the ³H₄ level to the ³F₄ emitting level. For Tm³⁺/Er³⁺-codoped tellurite glass samples, radiations at 550 nm, 660 nm and 980 nm owing to erbium ions in addition to the main 800 nm signal originating form thulium ions is readily observed. Here, energy-transfer from Tm³⁺ (³H₆ - ³F₄) to Er³⁺(⁴I_9/2) producing the NIR emission, followed by excited-state absorption of 1319 nm photons populating ²H_11/2, ⁴S_3/2, and ⁴F_9/2 visible emitting levels. Erbium single-doped samples did not exhibited visible detectable emissions for excitation powers as high as 1.8 W of cw radiation at 1319 nm. This spectroscopic characteristics is highly requested for applications in biomedicine such as fluorescence based nano-thermometers and fluorescence-based bio-imaging, once the penetration depth is a major issue to be considered.

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A. S. Gouveia-Neto, M. V. D. Vermelho, C. Jacinto, E. A. Gouveia, and F. C. Cassanjes "Generation of Vis-NIR light within the first biological optical window via frequency upconversion in Tm³⁺- and Tm³⁺/Er³⁺-doped tellurite glass excited at 1319 nm", Proc. SPIE 9726, Solid State Lasers XXV: Technology and Devices, 97261K (16 March 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2207928

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