Wavelength translation based on photoinduced broadband absorption in Nd3+ -doped lanthanum lead zirconate titanate ceramics.

A correlation between a photoinduced broadband absorption (BBA) and a strong long persistent optoenergy storage (LPOES), both evident in ceramic plates of neodymium-doped lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (Nd:PLZT), has been proposed and verified experimentally. As a direct evidence of the suggested correlation, a 3.0 dB gain was obtained with a preilluminated Nd:PLZT plate by simply heating up the plate to 60 degrees C. Thermal history related gain profiles taken in an Nd:PLZT plate unveiled that the intrinsically rich carrier traps in the ceramics are highly responsible for the remarkable BBA and underlying LPOES, and hence thermal to near-IR wavelength translation.