Preparation and Upconversion Emission Properties of Y2O3 : Er, Yb Inverse Opal

Upconversion light-emitting photonic band gap materials (Y2O3: Yb, Er) with inverse opal structure were prepared by a self-assembly technique in combination with a sol-gel method. The effect of the photonic stop-band on the upconversion luminescence of Er3+ ions has been investigated in the Y2O3: Yb, Er inverse opals. Suppression of the upconversion emission was detected if the photonic band-gap overlaps with the Er3+ ions emission band, while enhancement of the upconversion emission occurs if the emission band appears at the edge of the band gap.