Spectroscopic properties of trivalent lanthanide ions in fluorophosphate glasses

We describe the spectroscopic properties of the trivalent lanthanide ions Ce3+, Pr3+, Nd3+, Sm3+, Eu3+, Gd3+, Tb3+ Dy3+, Ho3+, Er3+, Tm3+ and Yb3+ in the fluorophosphate glasses 75NaPO(3)-24CaF(2)-1 LnF(3) and 75NaPO(3)-20CaF(2)-5LnF(3) (where Ln = lanthanide ion). Absorption and luminescence spectra are discussed. The dipole strengths of the transitions in the absorption spectrum are parametrized in terms of three Omega(lambda) (lambda = 2, 4 and 6) Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters. These phenomenological parameters are used to predict the luminescence properties of the lanthanide ions in the fluorophosphate glasses. Attention is paid to the trend of the intensity parameters over the lanthanide series. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.