Investigation of 1.3μm emission in Nd3+-doped bismuth-based oxide glasses

Abstract Nd 2 O 3 -doped 43Bi 2 O 3 – x B 2 O 3 –(57− x )SiO 2 –1.0Nd 2 O 3 ( x =57, 47, 39, 28.5, 19.5, 10, 0 mol%) bismuth glasses were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method, and the Nd 3+ : 4 F 3/2 → 4 I 13/2 fluorescence properties had been studied in an oxide system Bi 2 O 3 –B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 . The Judd–Ofelt analysis for Nd 3+ ions in bismuth boron silicate glasses was also performed on the basis of absorption spectrum, and the transition probabilities, excited-state lifetimes, the fluorescence branching ratios, quantum efficiency and the stimulated emission cross-sections of 4 F 3/2 → 4 I 13/2 transition were calculated and discussed. The stimulated emission cross-sections of 1.3 μm were quite large due to a large refractive index of the host. Although the effective bandwidths decreased with increasing SiO 2 content, quantum efficiencies and stimulated emission cross-sections enhanced largely with increasing SiO 2 content.