Nanocomposite Photonic Glasses, Waveguiding Glass Ceramics and Confined Structures Tailoring Er3+ Spectroscopic Properties

The aim of this lecture is to highlight some advances in erbium-activated silica-based photonic systems, where suitable geometries and appropriate fabrication protocols allow tailoring and enhancement of optical and spectroscopic properties. In particular, the following topics are presented: (i) rare earth-activated glass ceramics planar waveguides; (ii) Er
³⁺
-activated Ag exchanged silicate glass; (iii) dielectric 1 -D planar microcavities; (iv) sol-gel-derived Er
³⁺
-activated dielectric spheres.