Transparent Ni2+-doped lithium-alumino-silicate glass-ceramics for broadband near-infrared light source

Broadband infrared luminescence centred at around 1300 nm with full-width at half maximum of about 342 nm was observed from transparent Ni2+-doped lithium-alumino-silicate glass-ceramics embedded with beta-eucryptite crystallines. The room temperature fluorescent lifetime was 98 mu s. The transparent glass-ceramics may have potential applications in a widely tunable laser and a super-broadband optical amplifier for optical communications.