Luminescence properties of Sm3+ doped Na2B4O7 glasses for lighting application

Abstract

Sm3+ ions doped sodium-tetra-borate glasses were developed by melt quenching technique and their physical and luminescence properties were studied. The developed glasses absorbs photons in the UV–Vis–NIR regions. Photoluminescence (excitation and emission) characteristics shows that under 402 nm excitation, strong emission in the orange region owing to the 4G5/2 → 6H7/2 transition of Sm3+ ion was observed. Using absorption spectra, Judd–Ofelt (JO) parameters were evaluated. From the JO theory, the radiative properties which includes the radiative transition probabilities, branching ratios and stimulated emission cross section were calculated. Being transparent and a long decay time with an efficient energy transfer from the host matrix to the luminescence center, the developed glasses exhibit promising luminescence properties. The calculated CIE color coordinates and color purity show that the color coordinates of the developed glasses lie in the orange region. The obtained results revealed that the present glasses are promising for the orange light-emitting diodes and solid state laser applications.