Effect of codoping of Zn2+ ion on the upconversion of Er3+-Yb3+ codoped Y2O3 phosphor

The frequency upconversion emission from Er
³⁺
-Yb
³⁺
codoped Y
2
O
3
phosphor synthesized by low temperature, urea assisted combustion technique has been studied upon excitation at 980 nm diode laser. The effect of incorporation of Zn
²⁺
ion on upconversion (UC) emission bands around 409 nm, 523 nm, 551 nm, 661 nm arises due to the transitions
²
H
9/2
→
⁴
I15/2
,
²
H
11/2
→
⁴
I
15/2
,
⁴
S
3/2
→
⁴
I
15/2
and
⁴
F
9/2
→
⁴
I
15/2
of Er
³⁺
ions have been investigated. The basic mechanism involved in UC process and reason of intensity enhancement on Zn
²⁺
codoping have been explained by energy level structure and decay time analyses. The present study indicates that the developed phosphors may be of significant interest for use in photonic applications.