Europium doped magnesium zinc sulfophosphate glass as potential red laser host

Abstract

Demand for rare earth ions (REIs) doped inorganic glasses have been ever-increasing for diverse photonic applications. Synthesis of these glasses needs the appropriate choice of suitable host matrices, modifiers, and REIs as dopants to improve their spectroscopic traits. In this realization, a new series of magnesium-zinc-sulfophosphate glasses were prepared with varied europium ions (Eu3+) doping contents (0 to 2.0 mol%). Such melt-quench synthesized glasses were characterized at room temperature by diverse analytical techniques to determine their physical and optical properties. XRD pattern of as-quenched samples confirmed their amorphous nature. Densities of the glass system were observed to increase from 2.540 to 2.788 g.cm-3 with the increase in Eu3+ doping contents from 0 to 2.0 mol% which were attributed to the generation of more bridging oxygen atoms and enhanced network compactness. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra of glasses exhibited four characteristic peaks positioned at 593, 613, 654 and 701 nm assigned to corresponding 5D0→7F0, 5D0→7F2, 5D0→7F3, and 5D0→7F4 transitions in Eu3+, in which the intensity of the peak at 613 nm (red) was highest. Emission intensities of all peaks were enhanced with the rise in Eu3+ content up to 1.5 mol% and quenched thereafter. It was affirmed that the physical and optical traits of these glass compositions can be improved by adjusting the Eu3+ doping contents. The proposed glass compositions may be potential for the development of varied photonic devices especially for eye safe solid-state red laser and fibre sensors.