Investigation of 1.3 μm emission in Nd3+-doped bismuth-based oxide glasses

Nd2O3-doped 43Bi2O3–xB2O3–(57−x)SiO2–1.0Nd2O3 (x=57, 47, 39, 28.5, 19.5, 10, 0 mol%) bismuth glasses were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method, and the Nd3+: 4F3/2→4I13/2 fluorescence properties had been studied in an oxide system Bi2O3–B2O3–SiO2. The Judd–Ofelt analysis for Nd3+ ions in bismuth boron silicate glasses was also performed on the basis of absorption spectrum, and the transition probabilities, excited-state lifetimes, the fluorescence branching ratios, quantum efficiency and the stimulated emission cross-sections of 4F3/2→4I13/2 transition were calculated and discussed. The stimulated emission cross-sections of 1.3 μm were quite large due to a large refractive index of the host. Although the effective bandwidths decreased with increasing SiO2 content, quantum efficiencies and stimulated emission cross-sections enhanced largely with increasing SiO2 content.