Er³⁺-doped multicomponent sol-gel-processed silica glass for optical signal amplification at 1.5 μm

A multicomponent K-Er codoped silica-based sol-gel glass that presented luminescence quantum yield and long emission lifetime was developed. The sol-gel approach was successfully employed in preparing inorganic silica-based glasses with good thermal and mechanical properties. The infrared (IR) absorption data showed that the hydroxyl content of this multicomponent glass was drastically reduced to a few ten of parts per million by using optimized compositions.