Optical absorption, fluorescence and decay properties of Pr-doped PbO-H3BO3-TiO2-AlF3 glasses

Spectroscopic and laser properties of PbO-H₃BO₃-TiO₂-AlF₃ glasses doped with 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mol% of Pr₆O₁₁ have been studied. Optical absorption spectra were recorded in the UV-vis-NIR regions and the observed absorption bands were assigned to different electronic transitions from ³H₄ ground state of 4f² configuration. The three phenomenological Judd-Ofelt (J-O) parameters Ω_t (t=2, 4, 6) were determined from the measured oscillator strengths by including as well as excluding the ³H₄→³P₂ hypersensitive transition in J-O analysis. The emission characteristics such as stimulated emission cross-sections (σ_e), measured branching ratios (β_m), measured lifetimes (τ_m), quantum efficiencies (η) and gain parameters (σ_e×τ_m) have been evaluated for the principal intermanifold transitions of Pr³⁺ from the ³P₀ and ¹D₂ states to the lower lying manifolds in the visible region. From the emission and decay measurements, the effect of Pr³⁺ ion concentration on the quenching of the ¹D₂ measured lifetimes has been discussed.