Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.100, No.2, 612-619, 2017
Nonlinear negative transmittance at a CW 980-nm laser diodes pumping in Yb3+:CaF2 nanocrystals-embedded glass ceramics
Cooperative upconversion luminescence (CUCL) occurs in spectral regions in which single ions do not have energy levels. However, all results reported so far are concentrated on luminescence properties from Yb3+ ions-doped various hosts. Here, we report the observation of nonlinear negative transmittance (NNT) at continuous-wavelength (CW) 980-nm laser diodes (LDs) pumping in silicate oxyfluoride glass ceramics (GCs)-containing CaF2:Yb3+ nanocrystals. The unique optical nonlinearity is analyzed based on energy-level transitions, dynamic evolution, rate equation, and power transmission equation, which can be explained as the cooperative optical absorption for the intense CUCL of Yb3+ ions. The NNT in the CaF2:Yb3+ nanocrystals-embedded GCs can be tailored with the power of a CW 980-nm LDs, which possesses potential for the development of future optical limiters and switches.