Predicting the quencher concentration of Er³⁺‐doped borate glasses via neighboring glassy compounds

Abstract

The quencher concentration (cmax) of rare‐earth (RE3+) doped laser glass plays a pivotal role in achieving high laser gain. However, it is still challenging to quantitatively calculate and predict the cmax of RE3+ ions in laser glass. Here, we propose and demonstrate a robust method in predicting the local environment and the cmax of RE3+ in laser glasses from their neighboring glassy compounds (NGCs). Specifically, the NGCs method capably predicts the local environment of Er3+ ions in borate glasses (B2O3–BaO binary and B2O3–BaO–Li2O ternary glasses). Moreover, the NGCs’ method accurately predicts the cmax of Er2O3 in borate glasses with an error of less than 5% compared to the experimental result, showing the promising prediction capability for the cmax of RE3+ ions. Based on the NGCs method, the cmax database of Er3+‐doped borate glasses is established for efficiently tailoring compositions with desired optical properties. This study offers a rapid and low‐cost route to design novel laser glasses.