An investigation on the dependence of photoluminescence in Bi2O3-doped GeO2 glasses on controlled atmospheres during melting

We have investigated the influence of a range of melting atmospheres on the control of the photo-active Bi-ion states in a Bi2O3-doped germanate glass, having a molar composition of 70GeO(2)-18Li(2)O-11Ga(2)O(3)-1Bi(2)O(3). The atmosphere during melting was controlled by purging with pure oxygen, air, and nitrogen. The melting temperatures investigated were in the range of 1200 to 1450 degrees C. The UV-visible absorbance and the photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic characterizations in the visible (600-800 nm) and near-IR (1000-1500 nm) regions were carried out for determining the contributions of potential Bi-ion states on the absorbance and PL. The PL properties of undoped GeO2 glass were also compared for the analysis of potential defects states present in the structure. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.