Rare-earth ion doped lead- and cadmium-free bismuthate glasses

Rare-earth ion doped bismuthate (LZBB) glasses without traditional glass formers, lead and cadmium, have been attempted to prepare. In Er3+ doped LKBB glass system, Judd-Ofelt parameters Omega(2), Omega(4), and Omega(6) have been derived to be 3.48 x 10(-20), 9.47 x 10(-21), and 1.01 x 10(-20) cm(2), respectively, which shows a medium symmetry of the ligand field in the site occupied by Er3+ and a less covalent environment of Er3+. Effective 1.53 mu m fluorescence was recorded and the peak emission cross section is proved to be more than 9.0 x 10(-21) cm(2), which is much higher than those in phosphate, silicate, germanate, and tellurite glasses and beneficial to achieving powerful stimulated emission of Er3+ in LZBB glass system. Pr3+, Tm3+, and Ho3+ doped LZBB glasses with the maximum phonon energy of only similar to 600 cm(-1) are potential candidates for developing O-, S-, and U-band amplifiers and medical lasers. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.