Erbium, a rare earth element that has quietly revolutionized modern telecommunications and advanced materials science, represents one of the most remarkable journeys from scientific curiosity to technological necessity. Discovered in the mid-19th century in a small Swedish village, this pink-hued element has evolved from an obscure component of rare earth minerals to become the backbone of global fiber-optic communications. Today, erbium’s unique optical and magnetic properties enable everything from high-speed internet connectivity to advanced medical lasers, making it an indispensable element in our interconnected world. This comprehensive history traces erbium’s path from its discovery in 1843 through its pivotal role in the telecommunications revolution of the late 20th century to its expanding applications in contemporary technology.

For more information, check out the light rare earth elements (LREEs) as a group, the heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) as a group, and all rare earth elements (REEs). Be sure to check out all other critical raw materials (CRMs), as well. The complete history of all 17 rare earth elements can be found here.

Read about the use of rare earths in quantum computing here.

A History Of Erbium

The story of erbium encompasses nearly two centuries of scientific discovery, technological innovation, and industrial advancement. From its initial identification as a component of rare earth minerals to its crucial role in enabling global fiber-optic communications, erbium has transformed from a chemical curiosity to an essential element underpinning modern technology. This chronological account details the key milestones in erbium’s history, documenting how advances in chemistry, physics, and engineering have unlocked its remarkable properties for applications ranging from pink glass colorants to quantum communications systems.

Chronology

• 1842 – Carl Gustaf Mosander began separating “yttria” (Y₂O₃) into three oxides (yttrium, erbium, and terbium) setting the stage for erbium’s discovery the following year [1]
• 1843 – Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered erbium while studying gadolinite mineral, finding two new colored substances he called erbia and terbia, containing the new rare earth metals erbium and terbium [2, 3]
• 1860 – Marc Delafontaine named the substance giving pink salts as erbium and the one yielding yellow peroxide as terbium, reversing Mosander’s original naming which had caused confusion [3, 4]
• 1877 – The names erbia and terbia were permanently switched, with Mosander’s original terbia becoming known as erbia and containing erbium oxide [1, 5]
• 1905 – Georges Urbain in France and Charles James in the United States independently isolated fairly pure erbium oxide (Er₂O₃), achieving the first high-purity samples of the compound [5, 6]
• 1907 – Georges Urbain helped establish the identity of pure erbium while simultaneously separating lutetium from ytterbium, confirming erbium as one of fifteen rare earth metals [7, 8]
• 1934 – Wilhelm Klemm and Heinrich Bommer produced the first reasonably pure erbium metal by reducing anhydrous erbium chloride with potassium vapor at high temperature [1, 5]
• 1960s – Ion adsorption clay deposits containing erbium were first discovered in southern China, revolutionizing heavy rare earth element extraction; cross-linked dextran ion exchangers were introduced, improving the efficiency of erbium purification from other rare earth elements [9, 30]
• 1970s – Batch leaching using sodium chloride solution was first applied to extract erbium from ion adsorption clays in China [30]
• 1975 – Small, Stevens and Bauman developed modern ion chromatography with suppressed conductivity detection, enabling better analysis and separation of erbium; the Er:YAG laser operating at room temperature was discovered with erbium ion concentration at 50% and laser emission at 2940 nm wavelength [10, 11]
• 1979 – Gjerde published methods for anion chromatography with non-suppressed conductivity detection, further advancing erbium separation techniques [10]
• 1980s – In-situ leaching techniques for extracting erbium from ion adsorption clays were developed in China, improving extraction efficiency [30]
• 1985 – Robert Mears at the University of Southampton demonstrated that erbium-doped glass fibers could act as purely optical, low-noise amplifiers [12]
• 1986 – Gain and lasing in erbium-doped fibers were first demonstrated by groups at the University of Southampton (David Payne, R. Mears) and AT&T Bell Laboratories [13]
• 1987 – David Payne’s group at Southampton and Emmanuel Desurvire with Randy Giles at Bell Labs independently developed the first erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) [14, 15]
• 1990s – Ion-exchange chromatography techniques dramatically reduced the cost of erbium and other rare earth metal production, making erbium more commercially viable [5, 16]
• 1991 – Többen at Technischen Universität Braunschweig demonstrated the first erbium-doped fiber laser operating beyond 3 μm using Er³⁺ ions [17]
• 1992 – Commercial EDFA products became available, just five years after the first laboratory demonstrations of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers [15]
• 1993 – Bell Labs developed erbium-doped fiber amplifiers specifically for signal boosting in long-distance fiber-optic cables [18]
• 1995 – EDFA amplifiers were first deployed in submarine cables, with TAT-12/13 becoming the first transatlantic cables to use erbium-doped optical amplifier technology [19, 20]
• 1996 – TPC-5CN (Trans-Pacific Cable 5 Cable Network) began operation as the first submarine optical fiber network in the Pacific employing EDFA technology [14, 21]
• 1997 – The Er:YAG laser was FDA-approved for hard tissue treatment in dentistry, enabling minimally invasive dental procedures using erbium technology; capacity upgrades using EDFA technology were implemented on TAT-12/13 cables by populating additional wavelengths, demonstrating the flexibility of erbium-doped amplifiers [20, 22, 23]
• 1999 – FDA approved Er:YAG laser for soft tissue surgery and sulcular debridement, expanding erbium laser applications in dentistry [29]
• 2004 – FDA approved Er:YAG laser for osseous surgery, further establishing erbium’s role in dental and medical procedures [29]
• 2005 – Tata Communications acquired cable systems that would later incorporate EDFA technology to build a global fiber network [24]
• 2007 – DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) technology was implemented in submarine cables, enabled by erbium-doped fiber amplifiers [19]
• 2010 – China restricted rare earth exports including erbium during a trade dispute with Japan, causing erbium prices to spike several hundred percent [18]
• 2012 – Tata Communications completed a round-the-world fiber optic cable network using erbium-doped fiber amplifier technology throughout [25]
• 2014 – Tata Communications upgraded TGN-Pacific submarine cables to 100G capacity using advanced erbium-doped fiber amplifiers [26, 27]
• 2024 – Researchers achieved record bandwidth-distance products exceeding 100 petabit-kilometers per second using erbium-doped fiber amplifier technology [28]

Final Thoughts

The history of erbium illuminates the profound transformation of a once-obscure rare earth element into a cornerstone of modern civilization. What began as Carl Gustaf Mosander’s chemical curiosity in 1843 has evolved into an element essential for global communications, advanced medical treatments, and cutting-edge materials science. The development of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers in 1987 stands as perhaps the most consequential milestone, enabling the explosive growth of the internet and fundamentally altering how humanity communicates across vast distances.

As we look toward the future, erbium’s role continues to expand beyond telecommunications into quantum computing, renewable energy systems, and biomedical applications. The journey of erbium from the mines of Ytterby to the depths of transoceanic cables exemplifies how fundamental scientific research, combined with technological innovation, can create solutions to challenges not yet imagined at the time of discovery.

Thanks for reading!

References

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[22] Erbium Lasers | Lasers in Dentistry: Minimally Invasive Instruments for the Modern Practice – https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/ce-courses/ce394/erbium-lasers

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[24] TGN-Pacific Submarine Cable System Overview – Submarine Networks – https://www.submarinenetworks.com/en/systems/trans-pacific/tgn-pacific/tgn-cable-system

[25] Tata Communications completes world’s first wholly owned cable network ring around the world | Tata Communications – https://www.tatacommunications.com/press-release/tata-communications-completes-worlds-first-wholly-owned-cable-network-ring-around-world/

[26] Tata Communications brings 100G connectivity to carrier and enterprise customers from the US to Asia with Ciena’s GeoMesh | Tata Communications – https://www.tatacommunications.com/press-release/tata-communications-brings-100g-connectivity-carrier-enterprise-customers-us-asia-cienas-geomesh/

[27] Tata lights up 100G services on TGN-P cable route linking U.S., Asia and Japan | Fierce Network – https://www.fierce-network.com/telecom/tata-lights-up-100g-services-tgn-p-cable-route-linking-u-s-asia-and-japan

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