UV assisted local crystallization in Er3+ doped oxy-fluoride glass

Abstract : We report the precipitation of Er3+-doped nanoparticles inside transparent glasses by use of an original technique,combining heat treatment below glass crystallization temperature (TC) to UV laser exposure. This allows to control the spatial localization of the nanoparticles in the glass sample, whereas annealing solely at TC leads to a fully crystallized glass sample. The photoluminescence properties of Er 3+ ions in the glass and crystal are used to follow the structural changes in the glass network under heat treatment and UV exposure.