Dysprosium doped alkali fluoroborate glasses—Thermal, structural and optical investigations

Abstract

Thermal, structural and optical properties of Dy 3+-doped alkali fluoroborate glasses with composition (in mol%), 49B 2O 3+25XO+25NaF+1Dy 2O 3 (where X=Li 2, Na 2, K 2, Mg and Ca), have been investigated. Thermal analysis revealed the homogeneous formation of the glasses. The FTIR spectra reveal that the glasses contain BO 3, BO 4 non-bridging oxygen atoms and strong OH − bonds. From the optical absorption spectra, Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters ( Ω λ , λ=2, 4 and 6) have been evaluated and are in turn used to predict radiative properties such as radiative transition probability ( A), stimulated emission cross-section ( σ P E ) and branching ratios ( β R ) for the excited levels of Dy 3+ ions in alkali fluoroborate glasses. The dependence of the spectral characteristics of Dy 3+ ions due to compositional changes has been examined and reported.