ANALYSIS OF THE FLUORESCENCE OF THE ION EU3+ IN FLUOROBORATE GLASSES CONTAINING SILVER PARTICLES

We have studied theoretically and experimentally the fluorescence enhancement in fluoroborate glasses, doped with the ion Eu3+, containing small silver particles. The model developed shows that the gain coefficient has quenching and enhancement regions. The absorption peak of the metallic particles occurs at 425 nm, which is not in resonance with the 5L6 level of the ion EU3+. For this reason it is not possible to make a complete comparison between theoretical and experimental results, but the structure of the absorption spectra allows us to check some crucial aspects of the problem, such as energy transfer, enhancement of the local field and the high absorption by the particle system. Results of electronic microscopy have revealed non-uniformity of the particle distribution with average radii of approximately 20 angstrom and 35 angstrom and a measured localized mean filling factor of 0.02.