Topological Engineering of Photoluminescence Properties of Bismuth‐ or Erbium‐Doped Phosphosilicate Glass of Arbitrary P2O5 to SiO2 Ratio

A new method is reported to achieve the manufacture of glass of arbitrary ratio of SiO2/P2O5 which cannot be made by conventional melt-quenching method. The new method is termed "melt-in-melt" which encapsulates the key step in the glass manufacturing process, i.e. one molten glass is poured into another molten glass with a stirring at high temperatures. Because of near unlimited possibilities in designing new glass compositions, there is a correspondingly great degree of freedom in the topological engineering of the glass structure, which in turn strongly influences the photoluminescence (PL) properties of active dopants. As a proof concept, bismuth and erbium are selected as the indicator dopants for emphasizing the real advantages of the new method as an effective means to tailoring the PL properties of the doped glasses. The micro structure and element distribution within the fabricated glasses are comprehensively characterized by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, micro-Raman and high-performance X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Phase separation occurring at both nano- and meso-scale is observed. Apart from the developed glasses being themselves promising broadband emission phosphors, the new glass-making method may extend the possible applications of glass for important photonic applications (e.g. optical sensing, lighting, display, optical amplification and lasing etc.).