Spectroscopic Properties and Laser Performance Assessment of Yb ³⁺ in Borophosphate Glasses

Absorption and emission properties of Yb 3+ in borophosphate glasses of the (55‐ x )P 2 O 5 · x B 2 O 3 ·10ZnO·10BaO·20SrO·5Nb 2 O 5 ·1Yb 2 O 3 series ( x = 0, 11, 22, 33, 44, and 55) have been investigated. To avoid the problem arising from the radiation trapping effect, the reciprocity method is employed to calculate the emission cross section. It is found that the spectroscopic properties of Yb 3+ in our borophosphate glasses are sensitive to the Yb 3+ site environments. In addition, the laser performance of the Yb 3+ ‐doped borophosphate glasses has been assessed. And the borophosphate glasses with values of x = 33 and 55 appear to be superior to the phosphate glasses as Yb‐grain media.