Synthesis, optical spectra and radiative properties of Sm2O3:PbO:P2O5 glass materials

The paper presents the synthesis and spectroscopic properties of 46PbO:53P2O5:Ln2O3 glasses, where Ln = Sm or 0.1Sm + 0.9Gd. The glasses show intense luminescence dominated by the orange 4G5/2 → 6H7/2 transition. The luminescence branching ratios and quantum yields have been computed using the Judd-Ofelt analysis of relevant absorption spectra and the observed luminescence lifetimes; the maximum found quantum yield was 69%. The lifetimes and the quantum yields depended on the time of heating the samples at high temperature and on the samarium concentration.