Up-Conversion in Er3+-Doped Ge25Ga5Sb5S65 Chalcogenide Glass for Enhancement of Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency

Er
³⁺
-doped Ge
₂₅
Ga
₅
Sb
₅
S
₆₅
chalcogenide glass was studied as a potential material for up-conversion application to enhancement of silicon solar cell efficiency. Thermal properties were studied via DSC measurement, optical properties via variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and photoluminescence measurement. The host chalcogenide glass shows good thermal, chemical and physical properties. The band gap energy is ~2.23 eV which allows to emit green and red luminescent light from
⁴
S
_3/2
→
⁴
I
_15/2
and
⁴
F
_9/2
→
⁴
I
_15/2
4f-4f transitions of Er
³⁺
ions under 800 nm pumping with Ti-sapphire tunable laser.