AbstractIn the present work, a quantitative understanding of the Er-doped Si nanocrystals interaction is reported. We present a model based on an energy level scheme taking into account the coupling between each Si nanocrystal and the neighboring Er ions. By fitting the steady state and time resolved luminescence signals at both the 1.54 and 0.98 μm Er lines we were able to determine a value of 3×10-15 cm3 s-1 for the coupling coefficient. Moreover, a strong cooperative up-conversion mechanism, active between two excited Er ions and characterized by a coefficient of 7×10-17 cm3 s-1, will be shown to be active in the system, demonstrating that each Si nanocrystal can actually excite more than one Er ion.
Preparation and Properties of Er-Doped ZrO2 Nanocrystalline Phase-Separated Preforms of Optical Fibers by MCVD Process