Synthesis, Morphology, and Optical Characterization of Nanocrystalline Er$^{3+}$:Y$_{2}$O$_{3}$

We describe a methodology to synthesize trivalent erbium doped yttrium oxide (Er$^{3+}$:Y$_{2}$O$_{3})$ nanoparticles having an average diameter of about 25 nm. The room-temperature absorption spectrum obtained between 400 and 900 nm wavelength range and the fluorescence spectra of the Er$^{3+}$ (4$f^{11}) \quad ^{2}H$(2)$_{11/2 }+^{4}S_{3/2} \quad \to \quad ^{4}I_{15/2}$ and $^{4}F_{9/2} \quad \to \quad ^{4}I_{15/2}$ transitions were analyzed in detail. The lifetimes for the $^{2}H$(2)$_{11/2}+^{4}S_{3/2}$ and $^{4}F_{9/2}$ metastable states have been measured and investigated the effect of Er$^{3+}$ concentrations and particle size on the emission intensity and decay times. The detailed structural and optical analyses suggest that the nanoparticles of Er$^{3+}$:Y$_{2}$O$_{3}$ have potential applications in diverse fields of photonics including laser systems and optical communication devices.