Rich reddish-orange emitting PBTNAPr glasses for laser applications

Abstract Lead borate oxyfluoride glasses containing different amounts of PrF3 with composition PbO–B2O3–TeO2–NaF–AlF3-PrF3 were prepared and characterized for visible and fiber lasers. The amorphous phase and compositional analysis were carried out through powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectra, respectively. Using the room temperature optical absorption spectra, the spectroscopic properties were determined applying the modified Judd-Ofelt theory. The photoluminescence excitation spectral studies obtained by controlling the emission through Pr3+: 1D2 → 3H4 (604 nm) transition shows prominent excitation band positioned at ~448 nm (3H4 → 3P2). Upon 448 nm excitation, the studied glasses exhibit an intense emission through 1D2 → 3H4 (604 nm) transition along with feeble emissions from 3P1 and 3P0 metastable levels to the inner energy levels. The emission spectra show a shift towards longer wavelengths (called the red-shift) with increase of PrF3 content. The luminescence decay time of 1D2 emission level was found decreased with increase of PrF3 content. The quenching of decay time was assigned to the transfer of energy among the excited Pr3+ ions at relatively higher PrF3 contents. The experimental results show that the studied glasses with 0.1 mol% of PrF3 could be the suitable candidate to design rich reddish-orange emitting lasers.