Case Study
Characterising lanthanides in glasses for optical applications
Time-Resolved Fluorescence Application Note TRFA-11 Characterising lanthanides in glasses for optical applications Glasses are essential materials with a multitude of uses and many forms. In the area of optoelectronics there is an interest to modify the glass composition to favour the incorporation of lanthanide elements. Their stability and luminescence properties give the opportunity to fabricate optical materials, such as broadband amplifiers, lasers and non linear optical devices. A principal area of interest is that of telecommunications. Addition of heavy metal oxides assist in structural changes within the host glass for lanthanide incorporation, as well as expressing low phonon energies. However changes in composition and structure can influ