Composition and concentration dependence of spectroscopic properties of Nd-doped tellurite and metaborate glasses

The spectroscopic properties of tellurite glasses of composition (in mol%) TNKNd: (70 − x)TeO₂-15Nb₂O₅-15K₂O-xNd₂O₃ (x = 0.1, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5) and TNLNd10: 69TeO₂-15Nb₂O₅-15Li₂O-1.0Nd₂O₃ and lithium metaborate glass of composition LBNNd10: 89LiBO₂-10Nb₂O₅-1.0Nd₂O₃ have been investigated using absorption and emission spectra and decay curve analysis. An energy level analysis has been carried out considering the experimental energy positions of the absorption and emission bands, using the free-ion Hamiltonian model. The spectral intensities have been calculated by using the Judd-Ofelt theory and in turn the radiative properties such as radiative transition probabilities, emission cross-sections, branching ratios and radiative lifetimes have been estimated. The decay curves at the lower concentrations are exponential while they show a non-exponential behavior at higher concentrations (?1.0 mol%) due to energy transfer processes. The effective lifetimes for the ⁴F_3/2 level are found to decrease with increase in Nd₂O₃ concentration for all the glasses under investigation. The non-exponential decay curves have been well-fitted to the Yokota-Tanimoto model with S = 6, indicating that the nature of energy transfer is of dipole-dipole type and energy migration also plays an important role. The results obtained have been compared with Nd³⁺-doped phosphate, fluorophosphate, lead borate, tellurite, germanate and silicate glasses and Nd³⁺-doped YAG ceramic and Ca₂Nb₂O₇ crystals.