Optical and radiative properties of Nd3+-doped lead tellurite borate glasses.

Glass samples of composition (in mol%) 20PbO-20TeO2-(60 - x)B2O3- xNd2O3 ( x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) were prepared by melt quenching. The glassy nature of as-quenched samples was established via differential scanning calorimetry. The amorphous nature of the glasses was confirmed via powder X-ray diffraction measurements. Judd-Ofelt (JO) analysis based on UV-visible absorption spectra was performed to determine JO parameters Ωλ ( λ = 2, 4, 6). The observed trend is Ω2 > Ω6 > Ω4. The large value of Ω2 indicates the presence of covalent bonding between the Nd3+ ions and the surrounding ligands. Radiative properties, such as radiative transition probabilities, branching ratios, and radiative lifetimes are estimated. The glass samples have relatively high branching ratio, and their emission ( Aem) to excited state absorption ( AESA) intensity ratio is higher than one for the 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition, indicating that the prepared glasses may have potential laser applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]