Optical and structural analysis of lead bismuth silicate glasses

Glasses having compositions 20PbO(79.5‐x)Bi2O3xSiO2 (x = 10,30,50) doped with 0.5 mole% of Nd3+ ions were prepared by melt quench technique. The spectroscopic properties of the glasses were investigated using optical absorption and fluorescence spectra. The structural investigations of these glasses were carried out by recording the IR spectra. The variation of Ω2 with Bi2O3 content has been attributed to changes in the asymmetry of the ligand field at the rare earth ion site and to the changes in the rare earth oxygen covalency. Heavy metal oxide glasses have been used as potential candidate in solid state laser, solar concentrators, optical detector, optical fiber and fluorescent display devices.