Spectroscopic properties of Pr3+ ions in fluorophosphate glass

The visible luminescence of Pr3+-doped fluorophosphate glasses of composition (in mol%) 60NaPO(3)-15BaF(2)-(25 - x)GdF3-xPrF(3) (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10) has been investigated as a function of concentration at different temperatures by using steady-state and time-resolved laser spectroscopy. The fluorescence of the D-1(2) level shows a strong concentration quenching for Pr3+ concentrations higher than x = 0.1 mol% even at 4.2 K, The non-exponential character of the decays of the D-1(2) level when increasing concentration, together with the behaviour of the effective decay rates as a function of Pr3+ concentration, indicate the presence of a dipole-dipole quenching process in the framework of a limited diffusion regime. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.