Concentration dependence of spectroscopic properties and energy transfer analysis in Nd3+ doped bismuth silicate glasses

• Nd3+ doped bismuth silicate glasses were prepared with good thermal stability.
• Judd–Ofelt parameters and radiative properties of Nd3+ were discussed.
• The optimal Nd2O3 concentration is found to 0.5 mol%.
• Energy transfer mechanism and microparameters were investigated.

A detailed investigation on 1.06 μm spectroscopic properties as a function of Nd3+ ions concentration in bismuth silicate glasses is reported. Judd–Ofelt analysis indicated that Nd2O3 has no substantial influence on glass structure. Based on the Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters, several radiative properties such as radiative transition probability, radiative lifetime, branching ratio and emission cross-section of Nd3+ ions have been derived. The 1.06 μm emission intensity increases firstly and then attains maximum at 0.5 mol% Nd2O3 and decreases with further increase of dopant concentration. The luminescence quenching behavior at higher Nd3+ concentration has been ascribed to the hopping migration assisted cross relaxation mechanism. The high emission cross section (2.33 × 10−20 cm2) and large quantum efficiency (90.7%) suggests their potential for compact 1.06 μm lasers applications.

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