Spectroscopic evaluation a new and novel Nd3+/Yb3+ co-doped CdO-V2O5 glass system for 1 μm laser application

Abstract Structural and spectral evaluations of Nd 3+ and Nd 3+ /Yb 3+ doped CdO-V 2 O 5 glasses based on X-Ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, absorption, excitation and emission spectra and decay time profiles, are performed. X-Ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectroscopy revealed that all samples are amorphous (glassy phase) up to 4 mol% of Yb 3+ , without segregation of any crystalline phase. The optical band gap values determined from the absorption spectra, assuming direct optical band gap, were in the range of 2.13–2.07 eV, depending on the Yb 3+ concentration. The emission spectra of the Nd 3+ and Nd 3+ /Yb 3+ doped glasses upon Nd 3+ excitation at 585 nm, displayed the NIR Nd 3+ feature emissions centered at 880, 1060 and 1342 nm, and Yb 3+ emission at 977 nm, being the latter one achieved at expenses of energy transfer from Nd 3+ . According to the shortening of the Nd 3+ emission decay profiles such process is not radiative with efficiency in the range of 0.181–0.521, depending on the Yb 3+ content. The 880 nm Nd 3+ decay fitting using the Inokuti-Hirayama model considering, energy migration among donors, suggested that an electric dipole-dipole interaction might mediate the energy transfer process, within Nd 3+ -Yb 3+ clusters.