SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF PR-3+-DOPED MULTICOMPONENT FLUORIDE GLASSES

A new family of five optical glasses of the following chemical composition with 1M% PrF3 were prepared to examine the effects of alkali fluorides both in mixed and unmixed form: 30InF3/1b30BaF2/1b10ThF4/1b9ZnF2/1b20RF, where RF=LiF, NaF, KF, NaF/1bKF and KF/1bLiF. Significant results have been obtained from the physical characterization of the fluoride glasses. Both the absorption and photoluminescence spectra of these glasses were also measured. Laser emission properties of these glasses were examined both at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures by using an Ar+ ion laser. The fluorescent lifetime (in μs) of the emission state 1D2→3H4 (λ=0.59 μm) was measured at both 300 K and 77 K. The stimulated emission cross-section of different observed luminescent states of these Pr-doped glasses were measured by the use of Judd-Ofelt theory with the recorded photoluminescence spectra. © 1990.