Interionic distance distributions between $Er^{3+}$ and $Yb^{3+}$ as dopants in some crystal matrix hosts used for upconversion luminescence

TL;DR

This paper investigates the spatial distribution and interionic distances between Er^{3+} and Yb^{3+} dopants in crystal hosts used for upconversion luminescence, linking these distributions to energy transfer mechanisms and emission spectra.

Contribution

It introduces models for the cubic neighboring distributions of Er^{3+} and Yb^{3+} ions at various concentration ratios, aiding understanding of energy transfer in upconversion materials.

Findings

Spectral emission ratios are similar across different host crystals.

Interionic distances influence energy transfer efficiency.

Models of cubic neighboring distributions are proposed for different dopant ratios.

Abstract

The upconversion process for the $Er^{3+}$ ion, when irradiated with IR photons at 980 nm, strongly depends upon the presence of the sensitizer $Yb^{3+}$ ions. There is a good correlation between the relative and absolute concentrations of the activator and sensitizer species and the intensities of the emission lines of the resulted visible spectrum. The ratios between emission intensities in the green band (510-580 nm) and red band (640-700 nm) (i.e., the spectral content) show similarities between different host crystals in which $Er^{3+}$ and $Yb^{3+}$ are embedded, which is an indication that, regardless of the crystalline medium of embedding, the dopant ions interact in some specific and similar ways. In order to reveal the mechanisms for the energy transfer between activator and sensitizer ions, one needs a model for the spatial distribution of these relative to one another, from which some statistical data, like crystal matrix average surrounding radii, could be inferred. Some models of cubic neighboring are presented for the relative concentration ratios of $Er^{3+}:Yb^{3+}$, respectively of 1:2, 1:4, and 1:8.