Optical properties of zinc boro-tellurite glasses doped europium ion

In this research work, a series of zinc borotellurite glass doped europium (III) oxide having a chemical composition formula of [{(TeO₂)_0.7 (B₂O₃)_0.3}_0.7 (ZnO)_0.3]_(1-x) (Eu₂O₃)_x, coded as TBZEu with x = 0.01 to 0.05 molar fraction were successfully prepared using the conventional melt-quenching method. The fabricated glasses characterization was done using X-rays diffraction (XRD) technique, Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) as well as ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy to determine the effect of the concentration of Eu₂O₃ on the structural and optical properties. The XRD spectra result shows short-range order without sharp peaks, which confirmed the amorphous nature of the glasses. The synthesized glasses infrared absorption spectrum detected four prominent bands at the range of 350 to 1800 nm wavenumber attributed to the vibration of tellurite and borate groups, namely, TeO₃, TeO₄, BO₃, and BO₄, respectively. Furthermore, the UV–Vis-NIR absorption edge spectra were used to obtain the direct and indirect optical bandgap, Urbach energy, and the refractive index of the glasses, which ranges from 3.050 to 3.490 eV, 2.810 to 3.110 eV, 0.288 to 0.334 eV, and 2.370 to 2.450, respectively. TBZEu 0.04 molar fraction host glass emits the optimum spectral emissions. This suggests a promising potential for LEDs and solid-state laser applications.