Fabrication and spectral properties of Nd, La: CaF2 transparent ceramics

1 at.% Nd: CaF2 nanoparticles doped with different concentrations of La3+ ions (from 0 to 5 at.%) were synthesized by co-precipitation method. Phase identification, morphology of the nanoparticles were investigated by XRD and SEM measurements. The Nd, La: CaF2 ceramics were fabricated by hot-pressed method in the vacuum environment. The transmittance of all the ceramics reached 88% at the wavelength of 1400 nm. The luminescence intensities and decay lifetimes enhanced significantly with the increasing of La3+ concentration. The Nd, La: CaF2 ceramics have broad and flat emission band at 1050 nm with the largest FWHM of 28.16 nm. In addition, the spectrum results indicated that the fluorescence lifetime of Nd, La: CaF2 ceramics was longer than that of the Nd, Y: CaF2 ceramics with the same doping concentration.