Preparation and photoelectric properties of Ho^(3+)-doped titanium dioxide nanowire downconversion photoanode

Ho^3＋-doped titanium dioxide（TiO2：Ho^3＋） downconversion（DC） nanowires were synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method followed by a subsequent calcination process after being immersed in Ho（NO3）3 aqueous solution. Moreover, TiO2：Ho^3＋ nanowires（HTNWs） were used as the photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells（DSSCs） to investigate their photoelectric properties. Scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD） were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the material, respectively. The photofluorescence and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra of HTNWs reveal a DC from the near and middle ultraviolet light to visible light which matches the strong absorbed region of the N719 dye. Compared with the pure TNW photoanode, HTNWs DC photoanodes show greater photovoltaic efficiency. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency（η） of the DSSCs with HTNWs photoanode doped with 4% Ho2O3（mass fraction） is two times that with pure TNW photoanode. This enhancement could be attributed to HTNWs which could extend the spectral response range of DSSCs to the near and middle ultraviolet region and increase the short-circuit current density（Jsc） of DSSCs, thus leading to the enhancement of photovoltaic conversion efficiency.

Quantum cutting downconversion by cooperative energy transfer from Bi^(3+) to Yb^(3+) in Y_2O_3 phosphor

Bi3＋ and Yb3＋ codoped cubic Y2O3 phosphors are prepared by pechini sol-gel method. Strong near-infrared （NIR） emission around 980 nm from Yb3＋ （2F5/2＋2 F7/2） is observed under ultraviolet light excitation. A broad excitation band ranging from 320 to 360 nm, owing to the 6s2→6s6p transition of Bi3＋ ions, is recorded when the Yb3＋ emission is monitored, which suggests a very efficient energy transfer from Bi3＋ ions to Yb3＋ ions. The Yb3＋ concentration dependences of both the Bi3＋ and the Yb3＋ emissions are investigated. The decay curve of Bi3＋ emission under the excitation of 355 nm pulse laser is used to explore the Bi3＋ →＋Yb3＋ energy transfer process. Cooperative energy transfer （CET） is discussed as a possible mechanism for the near-infrared emission.

Near-infrared downconversion in Eu^(2+) and Pr^(3+) co-doped KSrPO_4 phosphor

A novel near-infrared （NIR） downconversion （DC） phosphor KSrPO4：Eu2＋, Pr3＋ is synthesized by the conventional high temperature solid-state reaction. The Eu2＋ acts as an efficient sensitizer for Pr3＋ in the KSrPO4 host. With broad- band near-ultraviolet light excitation induced by the 4f→5d transition of Eu2＋, the characteristic NIR emission of Pr3＋, peaking at 974 nm and 1019 nm due to 3po →1G4 and 1G4→3H4 transitions, is generated as a result of the energy transfer from Eu2＋ to Pr3＋. The luminescence spectra in both the visible and the NIR regions and the decay lifetime curves of Eu2＋ prove the energy transfer from Eu2＋ to Pr3＋. This Eu2＋ and Pr3＋ co-doped KSrPO4 phosphor may be a promising candidate to modify the spectral mismatch behavior of crystalline solar cells and sunlight.

AN EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION ARCHITECTURE FOR WIDE-BAND DIGITAL DOWNCONVERSION

The wide-band digital receiving systems require digital downconversion(DDC) with high data rate and short tuning time in order to intercept the narrow-band signals within broad tuning bandwidth. But these requirements can not be met by the commercial DDC. In this paper an efficient implementation architecture is presented. It combines the flexibility of DFT tuning with the efficiency of the polyphase filter bank decomposition. By first decimating the data prior to filtering and mixing, this architecture gives a better solution to the mismatch between the lower hardware speed and high data rate. The computer simulations show the feasibility of this processing architecture.

Linearized microwave downconversion link based on fast and intelligent impairment equalization for noncooperative systems

We experimentally demonstrated the use of intelligent impairment equalization(IIE)for microwave downconversion link linearization in noncooperative systems.Such an equalizer is realized based on an artificial neural network(ANN).Once the training process is completed,the inverse link transfer function can be determined.With the inverse transformation for the detected signal after transmission,the third-order intermodulation distortion components are suppressed significantly without requiring any prior information from an input RF signal.Furthermore,fast training speed is achieved,since the configuration of ANN-based equalizer is simple.Experimental results show that the spurious-free dynamic range of the proposed link is improved to 106.5 dB·Hz^(2/3),which is 11.3 dB higher than that of a link without IIE.Meanwhile,the training epochs reduce to only five,which has the potential to meet the practical engineering requirement.

Increased downconversion efficiency and improved near infrared emission by different charge compensations in CaMoO_4:Yb^(3+) powders

All of the samples were synthesized by sol-gel methods.Two approaches to charge compensation,（i） 2Ca2＋→Yb3＋＋M＋,where M＋ is an alkali ion like Li＋,Na＋ and K＋,and（ii） indirect charge compensation：3Ca2＋→2Yb3＋＋vacancy,were studied in detail.It was found that charge compensation would be very beneficial for the growth of the grains,especially in Li＋ ions added samples.All the grains were homogeneously spherical with less boundaries;in addition,a great variety of the absorption ability in different charge compensation samples were observed：in comparison with the phosphors without charge compensation,indirectly charge compensated and Li＋ ions added phosphors showed much stronger absorption strength in the ultraviolet（UV） region whereas that of Na＋ and K＋ ions added samples was much weaker;moreover,measurements of the emission intensities showed that：in comparison with the phosphors without charge compensation,the visible emission intensity from MoO42-decreased a lot in indirectly charge compensated and Li＋ ions added phosphors,whereas there was a remarkable increase of the near infrared（NIR） emission intensity from Yb3＋ ions in the two types of samples under 266 nm excitation,implying more efficient energy transfer（ET） from MoO42-to Yb3＋ ions;at last,measurements and analysis of the decay curves of the visible 495 nm emission were carried out,and it was found that the energy transfer from MoO42-to Yb3＋ ions were more efficient in the two above types of phosphors.The theoretical quantum cutting（QC） efficiency was also improved greatly.Overall,the addition of Li＋ ions would be very beneficial for the morphology of the powders in addition to the growth of the grains.It was advantageous to increase the downconversion（DC） quantum efficiency;however,indirect charge compensation would enhance the NIR emission intensity to the most for its strongest absorption ability in the UV region.

Energy transfer in Tb^(3+),Yb^(3+) codoped Lu_2O_3 near-infrared downconversion nanophosphors

Tb3＋ and Yb3＋ codoped Lu2O3 nanophosphors were synthesized by the reverse-strike co-precipitation method. The obtained Lu2O3：Tb3＋,Yb3＋ nanophosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and photoluminescence （PL） spectra. The XRD results showed that all the prepared nanophosphors could be readily indexed to pure cubic phase of Lu2O3 and indicated good crystallinity. The Tb3＋→Yb3＋ energy transfer mechanisms in the UV-blue region in Lu2O3 nanophosphors were investigated. The experimental results showed that the strong visible emission around 543 nm from Tb3＋ （5D4→7F5） and near-infrared （NIR） emission around 973 nm from Yb3＋ （2F5/2→2F7/2） of Lu2O3：Tb3＋,Yb3＋ nanophosphors were observed under ultraviolet light excitation, respectively. Tb3＋ could be effectively excited up to its 4f75d1 state and relaxed down to the 5D4 level, from which the energy was transferred cooperatively to two neighboring Yb3＋. The Yb3＋ concentration dependent luminescent properties and lifetimes of both the visible and NIR emissions were also studied. The lifetime of the visible emission decreased with the increase of Yb3＋ concentration, verifying the efficient energy transfer from the Tb3＋ to the Yb3＋. Cooperative energy transfer （CET） from Tb3＋ to Yb3＋ was discussed as a possible mechanism for the near-infrared emission. When doped concentrations were 1 mol.% Tb3＋ and 2 mol.% Yb3＋, the intensity of NIR emission was the strongest.

Broadband downconversion in YVO_4:Tm^(3+),Yb^(3+) phosphors

An efficient near-infrared （NIR） downconversion （DC） by converting broadband ultraviolet （UV） into NIR was demon- strated in YVO4：Tma＋,yb3＋ phosphors. The phosphors were extensively characterized using various methods such as X-ray diffrac- tion, photoluminescence excitation, photoluminescence spectra and decay lifetime to provide supporting evidence for DC process. Upon UV light varying from 260 to 350 nm or blue light （473 nm） excitation, an intense NIR emission of Yb3＋ corresponding to tran- sition of 2Fs/2/5→2F7/2 peaking at 985 nm was generated. The visible emission, the NIR mission and the decay lifetime of the phosphors of various Yb3＋ concentrations were investigated. Experimental results showed that the energy transfer from vanadate group to Yb3＋ via Tm3＋ was very efficient. Application of the broadband DC YVO4：Tma＋,yb3＋ phosphors might greatly enhance response of sili- con-based solar cells.

Broadband V-band Radio over Fiber Uplink Fronthaul Transmission Using Cascaded Microwave Photonic Downconversion Topology

Exploiting microwave photonic(MWP)techniques to generate and distribute high-frequency millimeter-wave(mm-wave)signals,termed mm-wave radio over fiber(m-RoF)signals,holds considerable potential for achieving highdensity and high-capacity fifth-generation and beyond networks.Herein,we experimentally validate a broadband m-RoF uplink fronthaul transmission system using the MWP downconversion concept,which comprises receiving and processing radio-frequency(RF)signals in the unlicensed V-band at around 60 GHz.The proposed system harnesses the simple cascaded modulator topology,in which an ultrawideband off-the-shelf Mach–Zehnder modulator(MZM)renders a simplestructured remote radio head by directly encoding the broadband 60 GHz uplink RF signal into the optical carrier.The nonlinear transfer function of another MZM at the center unit is explored to achieve subharmonic downconversion using cost-effective low-frequency local oscillator signals.Based on proof-of-concept experiments,mm-wave four quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing signals centered at frequencies ranging from 51 GHz to 70 GHz are successfully downconverted into signals at the intermediate frequency(IF)of 1.4 GHz.In the case of 1.2 m mm-wave,free-space,and 5 km m-RoF transmissions,the obtained IF signals with a total bandwidth of 2.4 GHz achieve a bit-to-error ratio performance lower than the 7%hard-decision forward error correction limit of 3.8×10^(−3).A gross bit rate of 10 Gbit/s can be achieved over a total spectrum of up to 10 GHz,which fully covers the globally unlicensed V-band of 57-66 GHz.

A New Low Voltage RF CMOS Mixer Design

A new architecture of CMOS low voltage downconve rsion mixer is presented.With 1.452GHz LO input and 1.45GHz RF input,simulation results show that the conversion gain is 15dB,IIP3 is -4.5dBm,NF is 17dB,the maximum transient power dissipation is 9.3mW,and DC power dissipation is 9.2mW.The mixer’s noise and linearity analyses are also presented.

Cooperative Quantum Cutting of Nano-Crystalline BaF2：Tb^3＋, Yb^3＋ in Oxyfluoride Glass Ceramics

We report on cooperative quantum cutting in Tb^3＋- Yb^3＋ codoped glass ceramics. Precipitation of BaF2 nanocrystals is confirmed by XRD and HRTEM analysis. Near-infrared emission due to transition of Yb^3＋ ions under 485 nm excitation indicates cooperative energy transfer from Tb^3＋ to Yb^3＋. The quantum efficiency of this process reaches 145%. The realization of quantum cutting in glass ceramics may have promising applications in solar cells.

Structural and Optical Properties of Ce^(3+), Yb^(3+) Co-doped YAG Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Ce3＋, Yb3＋ co-doped Y3Al5O12 films were prepared by pulse laser deposition. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize their structural and luminescent properties. Near-infrared quantum cutting from the films was observed via a cooperative energy transfer from Ce3＋ to Yb3＋ ions. The high quantum efficiency of the films implies that Ce3＋,Yb3＋ co-doped Y3A15O12 films have potential application by tuning the solar spectrum to enhance the efficiency of silicon solar cells.

Controllable transitions among phase-matching conditions in a single nonlinear crystal

Entangled photon pairs are crucial resources for quantum information processing protocols.Via the process of spontaneous parametric downconversion(SPDC),we can generate these photon pairs using bulk nonlinear crystals.Traditionally,the crystal is designed to satisfy a specific type of phase-matching condition.Here,we report controllable transitions among different types of phase matching in a single periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal.By carefully selecting pump conditions,we can satisfy different phase-matching conditions.This allows us to observe first-order Type-II,fifth-order Type-I,third-order Type-0,and fifth-order Type-II SPDCs.The temperature-dependent spectra of our source were also analyzed in detail.Finally,we discussed the possibility of observing more than nine SPDCs in this crystal.Our work not only deepens the understanding of the physics behind phase-matching conditions,but also offers the potential for a highly versatile entangled biphoton source for quantum information research.

Deterministic N-photon state generation using lithium niobate on insulator device

The large-photon-number quantum state is a fundamental but nonresolved request for practical quantum information applications.We propose an N-photon state generation scheme that is feasible and scalable,using lithium niobate on insulator circuits.Such a scheme is based on the integration of a common building block called photon-number doubling unit(PDU)for deterministic single-photon parametric downconversion and upconversion.The PDU relies on a 107-optical-quality-factor resonator and mW-level on-chip power,which is within the current fabrication and experimental limits.N-photon state generation schemes,with cluster and Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state as examples,are shown for different quantum tasks.

Photon pair generation in lithium niobate waveguide periodically poled by femtosecond laser

Reliable generation of single photons is of key importance for fundamental physical experiments and quantum protocols.The periodically poled lithium niobate[LN]waveguide has shown promise for an integrated quantum source due to its large spectral tunability and high efficiency,benefiting from the quasi-phase-matching.Here we demonstrate photon-pair sources based on an LN waveguide periodically poled by a tightly focused femtosecond laser beam.The pair coincidence rate reaches~8000 counts per second for average pump power of 3.2 m W[peak power is 2.9 k W).Our results prove the possibility of application of the nonlinear photonics structure fabricated by femtosecond laser to the integrated quantum source.This method can be extended to three-dimensional domain structures,which provide a potential platform for steering the spatial degree of freedom of the entangled two-photon states.

Photon pair generation from lithium niobate metasurface with tunable spatial entanglement[Invited]

The two-photon state with spatial entanglement is an essential resource for testing fundamental laws of quantum mechanics and various quantum applications.Its creation typically relies on spontaneous parametric downconversion in bulky nonlinear crystals where the tunability of spatial entanglement is limited.Here,we predict that ultrathin nonlinear lithium niobate metasurfaces can generate and diversely tune spatially entangled photon pairs.The spatial properties of photons including the emission pattern,rate,and degree of spatial entanglement are analyzed theoretically with the coupled mode theory and Schmidt decomposition method.We show that by leveraging the strong angular dispersion of the metasurface,the degree of spatial entanglement quantified by the Schmidt number can be decreased or increased by changing the pump laser wavelength and a Gaussian beam size.This flexibility can facilitate diverse quantum applications of entangled photon states generated from nonlinear metasurfaces.

Lanthanide NIR luminescence for telecommunications, bioanalyses and solar energy conversion

Present-day advanced technologies heavily rely on the exciting magnetic and spectroscopic properties of lanthanide ions. In particular, their ability to generate well-characterized and intense near-infrared (NIR) luminescence is exploited in any modern fiber-optic telecommunication network. In this feature article, we first summarize the whereabouts underlying the design of highly luminescent NIR molecular edifices and materials. We then focus on describing the main trends in three applications related to this spectral range: telecommunications, biosciences, and solar energy conversion. In telecommunications, efforts concentrate presently on getting easily processable polymer-based waveguide amplifiers. Upconversion nanophosphors emitting in the visible after NIR excitation are now ubiquitous in many bioanalyses while their application to bio-imaging is still in its early stages; however, highly sensitive NIR-NIR systems start to be at hand for both in vitro and in vivo imaging, as well as dual probes combining magnetic resonance and optical imaging. Finally, both silicon-based and dye-sensitized solar cells benefit from the downconversion and upconversion capabilities of lanthanide ions to harvest UV and NIR solar light and to boost the overall quantum efficiency of these next-generation devices.

Efficient near-infrared quantum cutting by Ce^(3+)-Yb^(3+) couple in GdBO_3 phosphors

Ce3＋ and Yb3＋ co-activated GdBO3 phosphors were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. X-ray powder diffraction, photoluminescent spectra and decay curves were used to characterize their structural and luminescent properties. An efficient near-infrared （NIR） quantum cutting （QC） from the phosphors was observed, which involved the emission of two low-energy NIR photons （around 971 nm） from an absorbed ultra-violet （UV） photon at 358 nm via a cooperative energy transfer （CET） from Ce3＋ to Yb3＋ ions. The theoretical quantum efficiency was calculated and the maximum efficiency approached up to 164% before reaching the critical concentration quenching threshold. Our results demonstrated that these phosphors might find potential application in improving the efficiency of silicon based solar cells.

Multi-photon quantum cutting in Gd_(2)O_(2)S:Tm^(3+) to enhance the photo-response of solar cells

Conventional photoluminescence(PL)yields at most one emitted photon for each absorption event.Downconversion(or quantum cutting)materials can yield more than one photon by virtue of energy transfer processes between luminescent centers.In this work,we introduce Gd2O2S:Tm^(3+) as a multi-photon quantum cutter.It can convert near-infrared,visible,or ultraviolet photons into two,three,or four infrared photons of,1800 nm,respectively.The cross-relaxation steps between Tm^(3+) ions that lead to quantum cutting are identified from(time-resolved)PL as a function of the Tm^(3+) concentration in the crystal.A model is presented that reproduces the way in which the Tm^(3+) concentration affects both the relative intensities of the various emission lines and the excited state dynamics and providing insight in the quantum cutting efficiency.Finally,we discuss the potential application of Gd2O2S:Tm^(3+) for spectral conversion to improve the efficiency of next-generation photovoltaics.

Up/down conversion luminescence rare-earth ion-doped Y_2O_3 1D nanocrystals

Multicolor luminescent rare-earth ion-doped Y2O3 nanocrystals （NCs） were prepared by a solvethermal method. The as-synthesized NCs yielded nanosheets, nanowires （NWs） and nanorods （NRs） with the increase of alkali （NaOH） in oleic acid system. Moreover, Y203 nanowires with controllable size have also been obtained. After sintering, the PL intensity of Y2O3：Ln3＋ nanocrystals increased with the changed morphology of the precursor, that is, Y（OH）3 nanocrystals. Both downconversion （red emission for Y2O3：Eu3＋ and green emission for Y2O3：Tb3＋） and upconversion （red emission for Y2O3：Yb/Er3＋） luminescence of the as-prepared nanocrystals have been demonstrated in this work. We also found that the PL intensity of Y2O3：Ln3＋ NCs dispersed in polar solvent was stronger than that in nonpolar solvent. Their up/downconversion fluorescence and controllable morphology might promise further fundamental research and biochemistry such as nanoscale optoelectronics, nanolasers, and ultrasensitive multicolor biolables.