Effect of Partial Crystallization on the Structural and Luminescence Properties of Er3+-Doped Phosphate Glasses

Abstract

Er-doped phosphate glass ceramics were fabricated by melt-quenching technique followed by a heat treatment. The effect of the crystallization on the structural and luminescence properties of phosphate glasses containing Al2O3, TiO2, and ZnO was investigated. The morphological and structural properties of the glass ceramics were characterized by Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, the luminescence spectra and the lifetime values were measured in order to study the influence of the crystallization on the spectroscopic properties of the glasses. The volume ratio between the crystal and the glassy phases increased along with the duration of the heat treatment. The crystallization of the glass ceramics was confirmed by the presence of sharp peaks in the XRD patterns and different crystal phases were identified depending on the glass composition. Sr(PO3)2 crystals were found to precipitate in all the investigated glasses. As evidenced by the spectroscopic properties, the site of the Er3+ ions was not strongly affected by the heat treatment except for the fully crystallized glass ceramic which does not contain Al2O3, TiO2, and ZnO. An increase of the lifetime was also observed after the heat treatment of this glass. Therefore, we suspect that the Er3+ ions are incorporated in the precipitated crystals only in this glass ceramic.

Transparent Glass-Ceramics Produced by Sol-Gel: A Suitable Alternative for Photonic Materials

“…This method allows for obtaining several compositions; however, the most studied ones are those based on alumino-silicate matrices, even though there are also some studies of phosphate and fluoride GCs [11,12]. According to the definition of GCs [13], “ Glass-ceramics are ceramic materials formed through the controlled nucleation and crystallization of glass ”.…”

Design, Synthesis, and Structure-Property Relationships of Er3+-Doped TiO2 Luminescent Particles Synthesized by Sol-Gel

“…Figure 9 shows the Kubelka–Munk function of the TiO 2 particles doped with three different concentrations of Er 3+ and subsequently calcined at 800 °C for 2 h. The spectra exhibit several absorption bands characteristic of the Er 3+ ion 4f-4f transitions from the ground state to various excited levels [10,44]. A broad absorption band peaked at 972 nm, corresponding to the 4 I 15/2 → 4 I 11/2 transition, can be observed.…”

Transparent glass and glass‐ceramic in the binary system NaPO3‐Ta2O5

“…The insertion of transition metal oxides can improve these properties, as reported in niobium, zinc, tungsten, and molybdenum phosphate glasses. In addition, it can result in a significant decrease in the phonon energy, minimizing the nonradiative processes when doped with rare‐earth ions (RE) . RE‐doped glasses are attractive for optical applications such as lasers and telecommunications devices …”

“…In addition, it can result in a significant decrease in the phonon energy, 10 minimizing the nonradiative processes when doped with rare-earth ions (RE). 11,12 RE-doped glasses are attractive for optical applications such as lasers 13 and telecommunications devices. 14,15 Recently, structural changes in phosphate glasses has been reported by the addition of WO 3 , 16,17 Ta 2 O 5 , 18,19 V 2 O 5 , 20 TiO 2 , [21][22][23] and Nb 2 O 5 1,5,24 .…”