Abstract
A photon avalanche has been achieved in an Er3+-doped fluoride glass fibre at room temperature. The pumping wavelength is 579 nm, which is non-resonant with the electronic ground state absorption but in resonance with the absorption between excited states 4I11/2 and 2G9/2. Avalanche emission has been observed at several wavelengths, of which the strongest is at 550 nm. The measured threshold for the avalanche is about 5 mW of incident pumping power. Rise time, transmission and spectra have been studied. Also, a spatial modulation was observed for the avalanche process. The mechanisms of the avalanche emission are discussed.
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