Spectroscopic Properties of Inorganic Glasses Doped with Pr 3+ : A Comparative Study.

The results presented in this communication concern visible and near-IR emission of Pr 3+ ions in selected inorganic glasses, i.e., borate-based glass with Ga 2 O 3 and BaO, lead-phosphate glass with Ga 2 O 3 , gallo-germanate glass modified by BaO/BaF 2 , and multicomponent fluoride glass based on InF 3 . Glasses present several emission bands at blue, reddish orange, and near-infrared spectral ranges, which correspond to 4f-4f electronic transitions of Pr 3+ . The profiles of emission bands and their relative intensity ratios depend strongly on glass-host. Visible emission of Pr 3+ ions is tuned from red/orange for borate-based glass to nearly white light for multicomponent fluoride glass based on InF 3 . The positions and spectral linewidths for near-infrared luminescence bands at the optical telecommunication window corresponding to the 1 G 4 → 3 H 5 , 1 D 2 → 1 G 4 , and 3 H 4 → 3 F 3 , 3 F 4 transitions of Pr 3+ are dependent on glass-host matrices and excitation wavelengths. Low-phonon fluoride glasses based on InF 3 and gallo-germanate glasses with BaO/BaF 2 are excellent candidates for broadband near-infrared optical amplifiers. Spectroscopic properties of Pr 3+ -doped glasses are compared and discussed in relation to potential optical applications.