Concentration dependent luminescence properties of Sm3+-ions in tellurite–tungsten–zirconium glasses

• Sm3+: tellurite glasses have been characterized with absorption, excitation, emission and lifetime analysis.
• Judd–Ofelt analysis has been applied to analyze the absorption and emission spectra.
• The effect of the Sm3+ ion concentration on the luminescence properties has been discussed.
• Chromaticity coordinates have been calculated as a function of Sm3+ ion concentration.
• The prominent emission band at 601 nm could be useful for visible optical devices.

Tellutite glasses doped with Sm3+ ions with composition of TeO2 + WO3 + ZrO2 + Sm2O3 (TWZSm) have been prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique and investigated their vibrational, optical and luminescence properties through Raman, absorption, emission and decay analysis. The amorphous nature of the sample was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis. The Judd–Ofelt (JO) theory has been performed to investigate the intensity parameters (Ωλ, λ = 2, 4 and 6) which inturn used to predict luminescence properties. The chromaticity coordinates as well as pump wavelength dependent luminescence have been investigated. The decay curves are perfectly single exponential at lower concentration and gradually changes to non-exponential nature for higher concentrations (>0.1 mol%). The non-exponential decay curves are well fitted to the Inokuti–Hirayama (IH) model for S = 6 which indicates that the energy transfer between the donor and acceptor is of dipole–dipole type. The experimental lifetimes (τexp) are found to be shortened with increase of Sm3+ ions due to the concentration quenching. Among the prepared glasses, 1.0 mol% Sm2O3 ions doped glass exhibits higher value of characteristic emission parameters and quantum efficiency for the 4G5/2 level suggests that it could be useful for optical devices, particularly visible laser applications.