Luminescence and Gamma Spectroscopy of Phosphate Glass Doped with Nd 3+ /Yb 3+ and Their Multifunctional Applications.

A new glass with a composition of 40P₂O₅-30ZnO-20LiCl-10BaF₂ (in mol%), doped with 3.5Nd₂O₃-3.5Yb₂O₃, was fabricated by the quenching melt technique. The luminescence (PL) and gamma spectroscopy of the glass were investigated systematically. The spectroscopic parameters of the prepared glass, such as the optical energy gap, Judd–Ofelt parameters Ω_k (where k = 2, 4 and 6), lifetimes and branching ratio of the Nd³⁺/Yb³⁺ level, were evaluated. Moreover, the shielding parameters, such as the linear and mass attenuation coefficients, mean free path and half-value layer, were evaluated. The prepared glass had a spectroscopic quality factor (Ω₄/Ω₆) of 0.84, which is about three-times larger than that of the most standard laser host, Nd³⁺:YAG. The energy of the 2P1/2 (Nd³⁺) level (~23,250 cm⁻¹) was twice the energy of the Yb³⁺ transition (~10,290 cm⁻¹). The value of the emission cross section ( σ e m (λ) ) of Nd³⁺:⁴F_3/2→⁴I_9/2 and Yb³⁺:²F_5/2→²F_7/2 were 2.23 × 10⁻²⁴ cm² and 2.88 × 10⁻²⁴ cm², respectively. The fabricated glass had a high emission cross section and low mean free path parameters, which makes the fabricated glass a potential candidate for multifunctional applications, such as laser emissions for medical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]