Exploring the influence of yttrium on the structural, physical, and optical properties of sol-gel synthesized silicophosphate glasses for photonics applications

Yttrium-incorporated silicophosphate glasses hold significant appeal in key sectors such as photonics, optoelectronics, lasers, biomedical applications, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In this study, the sol-gel method has been used to prepare the pure and yttrium-doped silicophosphate glasses. The aim of this study is to discover the effect of yttrium doping on the structural, physical, and optical properties of silicophosphate glasses. Various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy, and UV–visible analysis have been employed to examine the structural and optical properties of the prepared samples. The XRD analysis confirmed that all the prepared samples exhibited an amorphous nature. Optical measurements conducted indicated that the incorporation of trivalent yttrium ions led to an increase in the refractive index of the prepared samples. Furthermore, a decrease in the energy band-gap values of the samples was observed. The FTIR spectral analysis unveiled the presence of diverse vibration modes in the synthesized samples. These encompassed symmetrical and asymmetrical stretching vibrations of P-O-P linkages, bending vibrations of P-O in PO₄ groups, elongation and flexure vibrations of OH groups, and water absorption vibrations of P-O-H in the glasses. The acquired spectra robustly substantiate the function of yttrium oxide as a network modifier within the silicophosphate glass system. The theoretical values of optical basicity (Λ_th) demonstrated an increase from 0.465 to 0.472, while the values of the interaction parameter (A) exhibited a decrease from 0.218 ${\AA }^{-3}$ to 0.215 ${\AA }^{-3}$. Silicophosphate glasses doped with trivalent yttrium ions exhibit significant potential as materials for optoelectronic devices and optical filter systems.