Effect of lithium-potassium mixed alkali on spectroscopic properties of Er3+-doped aluminophosphate glasses

Er3+-doped lithium-potassium mixed alkali aluminophosphate glasses belonging to the oxide system xK(2)O-(15x)Li2O-4B(2)O(3)-11Al(2)O(3)-5BaO-65P(2)O(5) are obtained in a semi-continuous melting quenching process. Spectroscopic properties of Er3+-doped glass matrix have been analysed by fitting the experimental data with the standard Judd-Ofelt theory. It is observed that Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters-Omega(t)(t=2, 4 and 6) of Er3+ change when the second alkali is introduced into glass matrix. The variation of line strength S-ed[I-4(13/2),I-4(15/2)] follows the same trend as that of the Omega(6) parameter. The effect of mixed alkali on the spectroscopic properties of the aluminophosphate glasses, such as absorption cross-section, stimulated emission cross-section, spontaneous emission probability, branching ratio and the radiative lifetime, has also been investigated in this paper.