Continuous wave near-infrared phonon-assisted upconversion in single Nd3+-doped yttria nanoparticles

• Published in: Journal of luminescence 2017-12, Vol.192, p.963-968
• Main Authors: Camargo, K.C., Pereira, R.R., dos Santos, L.F., de Oliveira, S.R., Gonçalves, R.R., Menezes, L. de S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Luminescent materials; Rare-earth doped materials; Single nanoparticle spectroscopy; Thermometry; Upconversion
• ISSN: 0022-2313; 1872-7883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jlumin.2017.08.031

We report on Nd3+-doped yttrium oxide polycrystalline nanoparticles synthesis, their basic structural characterization and the observation of phonon-assisted upconversion in single nanoparticles with different Nd3+ doping levels. For upconversion studies, a frequency-locked CW Ti: Sapphire laser operating @ 820nm, resonant with a Stark level of the Nd3+ ions 4F5/2 manifold, was used to excite single nanoparticles on a home-made confocal microscope. To the best of our knowledge, luminescence ranging from 630 to 760nm was observed for the first time from single Nd3+-doped yttria nanoparticles under such excitation conditions. Upconversion studies on different single nanoparticles revealed a good doping homogeneity and the upconversion emissions were found to be one-photon phonon-assisted processes. Nd3+-doped Y2O3 nanoparticles (~160nm) were synthesized and morphologically-structurally characterized. Confocal microscopy and upconversion spectroscopy with single nanoparticles performed in the first biological window. [Display omitted]