University of Southampton

Giorgio Spinolo

Gilberto Brambilla

Elizabeth Regala Taylor

Alberto Paleari

Roberto Scotti

Norberto Chiodini

Franca Morazzoni

Using sol-gel techniques, an optical gain medium has been fabricated comprising a glass ceramic host material that includes clusters of crystalline oxide material, especially tin oxide, and that is doped with active ions concentrated at the clusters. The active ions are preferentially located at the nanoclusters so that they experience the relatively low phonon energy of the oxide and are insensitive to the phonon energy of the host. A host with a high phonon energy, such as silica, can therefore be used without the usual drawback of reduced carrier lifetimes through enhanced nonradiative decay rates.

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Southampton, United Kingdom

Giorgio Spinolo