Controlling the spectroscopic parameters of Er3+-doped sodium silicate glass by tuning the Er2O3 and Na2O concentrations

Glass matrix with nominal composition of 50Si(50 − x)NaxEr, where x varies from 0 to 1.0 mol%, were synthesized by fusion method. The influence of Na2O and Er2O3 concentrations on the spectroscopic parameters has been studied by employing the Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory. The characterization of the sample has been performed by optical absorption (OA), photoluminescence, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The DTA analysis revealed an increase of crystallinity with the increase of Si/Na ratio on the samples. The XRD pattern agrees with the DTA, proving the increase of the crystallinity degree. However any characteristic crystal peak was not identified in the XRD patterns, indicating that just the increase of local symmetry on each sample happens. Analysis of the J–O parameters shows an increase of symmetry around the Er3+ ions enhanced by the decrease of Na2O concentration. The calculated luminescence properties proposes the possibility of tuning the spontaneous emission probability of the transitions from 2H11/2 (534 nm) and 4S3/2 (547 nm) to 4I15/2, which then could be used to augment the performance of compact lasers and data store devices.

► We studied the influence Er2O3 and Na2O on optical properties of silicate glass.
► The glass system were synthesized by fusion method.
► The change in concentration caused increased symmetry around Er3+ ions.
► The XRD pattern and DTA thermograms shows an increase of the crystalline phase.