Blue emission spectrum of Ce3+:ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 optical glass

Emission spectrum of Ce(3+-)doped ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 glass has been reported in this short paper. A broader and strongly intense blue emission at 489 nm has been recorded with 262 nm as an excitation wavelength. This emission has been attributed due to the transition from 5d excited energy level (D-2) to the 4f(1) ground state energy level (F-2(5/2)) of Ce3+ ions in the zinc borosilicate (ZBS) host glass system. Under a UV source, this cerium glass has displayed a strong blue colour. The emission process from Ce3+ ions (D-2 --> F-2(5/2)) at 489 nn has been explained in terms of an energy level diagram and its lifetime has been measured. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.