NIR emissions from Nd3+-activated phosphate-based glass system for cost-effective, tunable, and miniaturised laser devices

Abstract

This work represents a phosphate-based glass system of composition (40-x) P2O5 − 30 B2O3 − 30 ZnSO4 - x Nd2O3, ( × = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mol%) to determine the optical absorption and emission spectral characteristics. Moreover, Judd-Ofelt (J-O) intensity and radiative parameters were computed. Samples were prepared using melt-quenching method and characterized using Archimedes measurement, Ultraviolet–Visible-Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy. The density values of these samples were reduced as the Nd2O3 concentration increased. The absorption spectra revealed 11 peaks corresponded to Nd3+ transitions from the lowest electronic energy level (4I9/2) to various excited levels. The optical energy band gap was found to be reduced with Nd3+ doping. The refractive indices (n) increased as the Nd3+ increase. The improving tendency of n was clarified in terms of the enhancing trend of samples molar volume (obtained from density), indicating a structural-optical correlation in the proposed glass system. The obtained values of Urbach energy (Eu) have an increasing trend in the range of ∼ 0.318–0.711 eV. Tow significant NIR emission peaks were assigned to the 4F5/2 → 4I9/2 and 4F3/2 → 4I9/2 transitions of Nd3+. Values of J-O intensity parameters Ω2, Ω4 and Ω6 were found in the range of (1.63–2.25)× 10−19 cm2, (2.57–2.94)× 10−19 cm2 and (1.53–1.82)× 10−19 cm2, respectively. The obtained stimulated emission cross-section for the NIR transitions from Nd3+ ((23.83–26.64)× 10−20 cm2 for 4F5/2 → 4I9/2, and (10.93–17.91)× 10−20 cm2 for 4F3/2 → 4I9/2 obviously revealed the lasing effectiveness of the titled glass system.