Effect of GeO2 content on structural and spectroscopic properties of antimony glasses doped with Sm3+ ions

Antimony-based glasses with different germanium oxide content doped with Sm3+ ions have been developed. On the basis of decomposition of absorption bands (FTIR) in the mid infrared region, was determined that antimony and germanium ions are the glass-forming ions, setting up the lattice of fabricated glasses. The effect of GeO2/Sb2O3 ratio in fabricated glass doped with samarium ions on thermal, structural and luminescent properties was also investigated. Characteristic bright reddish-orange luminescence from the 4G5/2 state to the lower lying levels 6HJ with J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2 and 11/2 with maximum intensity at the wavelength of 603 nm originating from 4G5/2 → 6H7/2 transition was observed. The asymmetry nature of molecular structure around samarium ion have been determined from intensity ratio between 4G5/2 → 6H9/2 (ED) and 4G5/2 → 6H5/2 (MD) transitions. An introduction of GeO2 to the antimony glass results in the increasing of 4G5/2 lifetime and decreasing of the orange-to-red intensity ratio, which is are related to reduction of non-briding oxygens.