Spectroscopy and energy transfer in lead borate glasses doubly doped with Dy3+–Tb3+ and Tb3+–Eu3+ ions

• Spectroscopic properties of rare earth doubly doped lead borate glasses were investigated.
• Luminescence of Tb3+ was successfully detected under excitation of Dy3+.
• Luminescence of Eu3+ was successfully detected under excitation of Tb3+.
• The energy transfer processes between rare earth ions in lead borate glass were evidenced.

Lead borate glasses doubly doped with Dy3+–Tb3+ and Tb3+–Eu3+ were investigated using optical spectroscopy. Luminescence spectra of rare earths were detected under various excitation wavelengths. The main green emission band due to 5D4 → 7F5 transition of Tb3+ is observed under excitation of Dy3+, whereas the main red emission band related to 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu3+ is successfully observed under direct excitation of Tb3+. In both cases, the energy transfer processes from Dy3+ to Tb3+ and from Tb3+ to Eu3+ in lead borate glasses occur through a nonradiative processes with efficiencies up to 16% and 18%, respectively. The presence of energy transfer process was also confirmed by excitation spectra measurements.

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