Fluorescence spectroscopy of silicate glasses codoped with Sm2+ and Al3+ ions

Abstract

The fluorescence properties of Sm3+ and Sm2+ ions incorporated in silicate glasses were measured using steady-state and laser-induced line narrowing techniques and the effect of Al3+ ions to the local structure around the Sm2+ ion was investigated. Sm3+ ion-containing glasses prepared by a sol–gel method were reacted with H2 gas to form the Sm2+ ions. The energies of the three Stark levels of the D05→7F1 transition were analyzed using C2v symmetry. The addition of Al3+ ions facilitates dispersion of the Sm2+ ions and increases the coordination number of the Sm2+ ion due to the long distance between the Sm2+ and O2− ions, resulting in the increased fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence intensity of the Sm2+ and Sm3+ ions considerably increases in glasses containing more than 5 mol % Al2O3.