Pr3+- and Pr3+/Er3+-doped selenide glasses for potential 1.6 mu m optical amplifier materials

1.6 mum emission originated from Pr3+ : (F-3(3), F-3(4)) --> H-3(4) transit ion in Pr3+- and Pr3+/Er3+-doped selenide glasses was investigated under an optical pump of a conventional 1480 nm laser diode. The measured peak wave length and full-width at half-maximum of the fluorescent emission are simil ar to 1650 nm and similar to 120 nm, respectively. A moderate lifetime of t he thermally coupled upper manifolds of similar to 212 +/- 10 mus together with a high stimulated emission cross-section of similar to (3 +/- 1)X10(-2 0) cm(2) promises to be useful for 1.6 mus band fiber-optic amplifiers that can be pumped with an existing high-power 1480 nm laser diode. Codoping Er 3+ enhances the emission intensity by way of a nonradiative Er3+ : I-4(13/2 ) --> Pr3+: (F-3(3), F-3(4)) energy transfer. The Dexter model based on the spectral overlap between donor emission and acceptor absorption describes well the energy transfer from Er3+ to Pr3+ in these glasses. Also discussed in this paper are major transmission loss mechanisms of a selenide glass o ptical fiber.