The effect of replacing copper metal or oxide with neodymium on the optical properties of lithium tetraborate glass

The melting quenching technique is used to create lithium tetraborate glasses with the following composition (in mol %): 80 Li2B4O7-(20-x) Nd2O3-x Cu metal or x CuO mol% (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20). X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical absorption, photoluminescence, thermal analysis, and Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) were studied. The optical absorption spectra indicate the presence of Nd3+ and Cu2+ ions. The absorption spectra determine the Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters (Ωλ), the oscillator strengths, and bonding parameters. The high value of Ω2 indicates the increasing covalent bonding within the host structure. The ratio between emission intensities and excitation indicates that glass samples are used as laser sources. The photoluminescence spectra revealed neodymium ion emission. The glasses containing 20 mol % Nd2O3 (free from copper) emitted light at 1053 nm. The strength of emission peaks decreases as copper concentration increases according to the quenching effect. The findings indicate that the samples investigated are suitable for use in solid-state lasers.