Structural, Thermal and Upconversion Properties of Pr3+ doped Borosilicate Glasses for Display Device Applications

Abstract

Yttrium zinc lithium alumino antimony sodalime borosilicate glasses containing Pr3+ in (20-x):SiO2:10ZnO: 10Li2O :10Al2O3 :10Sb2O3 :10Na2O :10CaO :10Y2O3 :10B2O3:xPr2O3 (where x=1, 1.5,2 mol %) have been prepared by melt-quenching method. The amorphous nature of the glasses was confirmed by x-ray diffraction studies. DTA curve was analysed to evaluate the glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature and melting temperature. Optical absorption, Excitation spectra and fluorescence spectra were recorded at room temperature for all glass samples. Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters ?? (?=2, 4, 6) are evaluated from the intensities of various absorption bands of optical absorption spectra. Using these intensity parameters various radiative properties like spontaneous emission probability, branching ratio, radiative life time and stimulated emission cross–section of various emission lines have been evaluated.

Introduction

This study investigates the structural, thermal, and spectroscopic properties of Pr³?-doped yttrium zinc lithium alumino antimony sodalime borosilicate (YZLAASLBS) glasses prepared by the melt-quenching technique. Rare-earth-doped silicate glasses are important materials for applications in optical fiber amplifiers, lasers, frequency converters, sensors, and other optoelectronic devices because of their excellent optical transparency, thermal stability, mechanical strength, and high rare-earth ion solubility.

Glass Preparation

Three Pr³?-doped glass compositions containing 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mol% Pr?O? were synthesized using high-purity oxide powders. The mixed batches were melted at 1050°C, quenched on a preheated steel plate, and annealed at 350°C to remove internal stresses. The resulting samples were transparent and exhibited good optical quality.

Theoretical Analysis

The optical properties were analyzed using:

• Oscillator strength calculations from absorption spectra.
• Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory, which provides intensity parameters (Ω?, Ω?, Ω?) related to the local environment and bonding around Pr³? ions.
• Calculation of radiative parameters such as:
  • Spontaneous emission probability,
  • Radiative lifetime,
  • Fluorescence branching ratio,
  • Stimulated emission cross-section.
• Nephelauxetic ratio and bonding parameters were used to evaluate the nature of rare-earth–oxygen bonding.

Results

1. XRD Analysis

• X-ray diffraction patterns showed only broad diffuse humps and no sharp Bragg peaks.
• This confirms that the prepared glasses are amorphous in nature.

2. Raman Spectroscopy

• Raman bands were observed at 600, 795, and 1205 cm?¹.
• These bands correspond to:
  • Si–O–Si symmetric stretching (600 cm?¹),
  • Bending vibrations (795 cm?¹),
  • Si–O–Si asymmetric stretching (1205 cm?¹).
• The results confirm the silicate glass network structure.

3. Thermal Properties
Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) was used to determine thermal parameters.

Key observations:

• Glass transition temperature (Tg) increases with increasing Pr³? concentration.
• Crystallization (Tc) and melting temperatures (Tm) also increase slightly.
• The glasses exhibit good thermal stability and glass-forming ability, making them suitable for optical applications.

Conclusion

In the present study, the glass samples of composition (20-x):SiO2:10ZnO :10Li2O :10Al2O3 :10Sb2O3 :10Na2O :10CaO :10Y2O3 :10B2O3:xPr2O3 (where x =1, 1.5, 2 mol %) have been prepared by melt-quenching method. Balaji and Shankar parameters indicate that the prepared glass samples have good thermal stability. The stimulated emission cross-section (?p) has highest value for the transition (1G4?3H6) in all the glass specimen doped with Pr3+ion. This shows that (1G4?3H6) transition is most probable transition and it useful for display device applications.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 S. L. Meena. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.