Lead borate oxyfluoride glasses doped with Nd^3+ ions and transparent glass–crystal materials based on them

This paper discusses the properties of synthesized lead borate oxyfluoride PbF2-PbO-B2O3 glasses doped with Nd3+ ions at concentrations from 0.6 x 10(20) to 25 x 10(20) cm(-3). The possibility of using them as a basis for obtaining transparent glass-crystal materials by controlled crystallization with precipitation of the fluoride crystalline phase is studied. The changes in the structure and optical properties of the glass-crystalline material by comparison with the initial glasses were monitored by X-ray phase analysis and Raman spectroscopy and by investigating the fluorescence characteristics of the Nd3+ ions. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America.