Thermal stability and spectral properties of Er3+-doped gadolinium borosilicate glasses

A new glass of Gd2O3–B2O3–SiO2–Na2O–Er2O3 system is prepared and the formation range of the glass is experimentally obtained. Excellent thermal stability of the glass has been demonstrated using differential thermal analysis. Effects of the B2O3 content on the infrared spectral properties such as the 1.5 μm emission bandwidth and the Judd–Ofelt parameter Ωt (t = 2, 4, 6) of Er3+ ions in the glass has been observed. The glass exhibits a large integrated emission cross sections for the 1.5 μm emission band. The Er3+-doped gadolinium borosilicate glass is a great candidate for broadband erbium doped fiber amplifiers.