On the Pr3+ interconfigurational optical transitions in glasses and an comparative study of the Photon Cascade Emission in crystals and glasses

Abstract This paper offers a study that compares the nature of Pr3+ luminescence in crystalline and glass modifications of LaB3O6, LiLaP4O12 and SrB4O7. In the crystalline derivative of these materials, the crystal-field split Pr3+ 4f15d1 state is higher in energy than the 1S0 state. The resulting energy level structure permits the observation of the Pr3+ 1S0 → 1I6 emission transition and the production of two photons for every absorbed UV photon, a process which is referred to as Photon Cascade Emission. In the corresponding glass derivatives, the Pr3+ 4f15d1 lies below the 1S0 state with the consequence that the emission is dominated by the interconfigurational (broad-band) Pr3+ 4f15d1 → 4f2 transition. The reason for this is traced to increased strength of the crystalline field at the Pr3+ site in the glass phase. The increased crystal-field strength is traceable to decreased local coordination number and to shorter Pr3+–O2− bond distances. In this paper we also analyze the results of the Pr3+ ion luminescence in fluoride, oxyfluoride, borate and phosphate glasses. With the exception of one pure fluoride glass (ZBLAN), the Pr3+ luminescence in all these glasses is dominated by the interconfigurational Pr3+ 4f15d1 → 4f2 emission transition. It is pointed out that under broad-band excitation, emission from the Pr3+ 1S0 state has yet to be observed in an oxide based glass (phosphates and borates).