Impact of Annealing Time on the Optical Response of Zinc-Boro-Tellurite Glass

Annealing time dependent optical properties of melt-quench synthesized Er3+-doped (0.5 mol%) zinc-boro-tellurite (ZBT) glasses containing silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) (1.0 mol%) are reported. Heat treatment (HT) durations are varied to control NPs growth. Reduction of NPs sizes from 12.7 to 6.6 nm for HT time beyond 6 hr at 410 °C is ascribed to their diffusion limited growth. Surface plasmon resonance bands evidenced at 550 and 580 nm are red shifted. Luminescence intensity enhancement is majorly attributed to the local field effect of Ag NPs and quenching is due to the energy transfer from NPs to Er3+. Present glass compositions are promising for the development of photonic devices.