Luminescent properties of Pr3+ and Tm3+ doped oxyfluoride silicate glasses for light emitting diode applications

A series of Pr3+ and Tm3+ doped oxyfluoride silicate glasses prepared by melt-quenching method are investigated by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimeter, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and photoluminescence spectra. The luminescence of Pr3+ in the as-prepared glasses mainly show two intensified emission peaks in blue (484 nm) and reddish orange (604 nm) regions corresponding to the transitions P-3(0)-> H-3(4) and P-3(0)-> H-3(6) (D-1(2)-> H-3(4)) of Pr3+ ions. The relative emission intensity of these two emission peaks can be tailored by varying the glass matrix compositions. For certain base glass compositions, the formation of CaF2 crystals occurred during the melt quenching process, which can change the luminescence performance of the glasses. In addition, we find that the Tm3+ ions play a significant role in modifying the luminescence of Pe(3+). The Pr3+ and Tm3+ doped oxyfluoride silicate glasses reported here have broad prospects in light emitting diode applications.