Spectroscopic and laser properties of Sm³⁺ ions doped lithium fluoroborate glasses for efficient visible lasers.

The Sm(3+)-doped lead barium zinc lithium fluoroborate (LBZLFB) glasses of composition 20PbO + 5BaO + 5ZnO + 10LiF + (60-x) B(2)O(3) + xSm(2)O(3), (where x=0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mol%) have been prepared by conventional melt quenching technique and their structural and spectroscopic behavior were studied and reported. The amorphous nature of these glass samples was confirmed with XRD studies. The FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra reveal that, the glasses contain BO(3), BO(4), non-bridging oxygen and strong OH bonds. The bonding parameters and the oscillator strengths were determined from the absorption spectra. These parameters have been used to obtain the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters. Using these intensity parameters various radiative and laser properties were predicted. The values of J-O intensity parameters suggested an increase in the degree of symmetry of the local ligand field at Sm(3+) sites. The decay rates for the (4)G(5/2) level of Sm(3+) ions have been measured and are found to be single exponential at lower concentrations (<1.0 mol%) and turn into non-exponential at higher concentrations (≥1.0 mol%), due to energy transfer through cross-relaxation. From the emission characteristic parameters of (4)G(5/2) level, it is concluded that the LBZLFB glasses could be useful for photonic devices like visible lasers, fluorescent display devices and optical amplifiers, operated in the visible region.