Energy Transfer Between Yb3+- Mn2+ in Zn(Po3)2 Glasses Giving Green, Red and Infrared Light

Abstract

The Yb3+-Mn2+codoped zinc metaphosphate glass gives rise to several processes such as upconversion, downshifting and double ion absorptions producing light from the visible to the IR wavelengths. These processes are possible since the Mn2+ and the Yb3+ ions replaces the Zn2+ ion in nanoparticles of the α phase of the compound Zn(PO3)2. An important result is that the α structure presence allows the formation of Yb3+-Mn2+ dimers, that gives rise to a superexchange coupling that allows an upconversion process from the IR to the red region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The experimental results also show that these dimers can couple to produce Yb3+ ion pairs that led to a cooperative emission in the green, around 500nm, coupling also the Mn2+ ions that in turn allows to produce a double absorption of this ions in the red region of the electromagnetic spectrum and as well a downshifting process conducting to the Yb3+ emission in the infrared. If the manganese ion concentration is higher than 10% most of these effects are masked. All these results make the material an effective option for different applications, due to the large wavelength variety that can be selected for excitation or emission.