An efficient near-infrared (NIR) quantum-cutting (QC) in YVO 4 :Yb 3+ films has been demonstrated, which involves the emission of two low-energy NIR photons (around 980nm) from an absorbed ultra-violet photon via a cooperative energy transfer (CET) from the host to Yb 3+ ions. The dependence of Yb 3+ doping concentration on the visible and NIR emissions, decay lifetime, and quantum efficiencies have been investigated in detail. The results show that the optimal concentration of Yb 3+ ions for NIR emission is 4mol%, and its maximum quantum efficiency approaches up to 127.7%. In addition, this film shows perfect transparency quality and is transparent in the visible and near infrared region. The maximum transparency obtained can reach as high as 90%. All these results further indicate its potential application as a luminescence converter layer for enhanced silicon solar cell performance.