A novel sol-gel process has been used to prepare homogeneous, fully dense, cylindrical samples of neodymium-doped silica and neodymium-aluminum-doped silica. The absorption and emission spectra, fluorescent lifetimes and quantum yields of all samples were measured. The quantum yields of Nd₂O₃-SiO₂ samples were very low due to clustering of the Nd in the silica matrix. The incorporation of alumina eliminated the clustering and quantum yields up to 55% were obtained. We showed that these quantum yields of less than unity were caused by residual OH quenching of the Nd fluorescence. The fluorescent properties were unchanged when the OH was replaced with OD. One sample was demonstrated to laser under laser pumping.

Date Published: 7 December 1992
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 1758, Sol-Gel Optics II, (7 December 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.132055

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1758:
Sol-Gel Optics II
John D. Mackenzie, Editor(s)