Effect of Pr6O11 on improving the Near–Infrared nonlinear optical characteristics of zinc borate glasses

Abstract

For achieving superior nonlinear optical (NLO) features of glass samples, we have incorporated rare earth oxide (in this case, it is Pr6O11) in the composition. The NLO properties are rare earth ions concentration–dependent and, therefore, it is crucial to examine the concentration impact on the NLO attributes of glasses. The effectiveness of Pr6O11 concentration on NLO characteristics of the borate–based glass specimens in the near–infrared region in the femtosecond regime is being investigated in the current work using the Z–scan method. The two–photon absorption coefficients were almost constant up to 0.5 mol % of Pr6O11 and then showed increased behaviour. The nonlinear index of refraction magnitudes was improved with Pr6O11 content in the glass compositions. However, the optical limiting thresholds were found to be decreased with Pr6O11 quantity in the glass compositions. These increases in NLO features and optical limiting efficiencies are attributed to the non–bridging oxygens, polarizability and molar refractions of the glasses. The outcomes of Z‒scan characterization unveil that the high Pr6O11 glass specimens are favourable for the production of NLO devices and optical limiters to execute the functioning in the near–infrared region.