Abstract
Optical properties and radiative rates of cadmium lithium gadolinium silicate glasses (CLGS) doped with Er3+ are presented. Direct energy gap and its dependence refractive indexes are estimated and presented, as well. We have derived absorption and emission cross-sections and then the estimated possible spectral optical gain for different concentrations of Er3+ at 1 mol%, 1.5 mol%, and 2 mol% are also evaluated. For the three NIR peaks at 800 nm, 1 μm and 1.5 μm, the effect of dopant concentrations on the emission cross section and optical gain factors are investigated. The quenching behaviour occurred in the emission/absorption cross sections as well as optical gain for higher dopant level and at a wavelength of 1 μm is discussed. The present glasses doped with 1.5 mol% and 2 mol% of Er2O3 show higher emission cross sections values at 1.5 μm, the estimated emission cross sections rapidly increased by about of 40% at 1.5 μm of the glass samples doped with 1.5 mol%, and 2 mol% of Er2O3. This increase reflected on the gain factors which show higher values of the same samples at 1.5 μm by ~7−9cm−1
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•Direct band gap of CLGS glasses doped with erbium are evaluated.•Polarizability and optical basicity of CLGS glasses doped with erbium oxide are estimated.•Judd-Ofelt calculations of optical parameters, energy levels and transition rates are obtained.•Optical gains of the 800 nm, 1.0 μm and 1.5 μm emission lines are calculated.