Effects of annealing temperature and neodymium concentration on structural and photoluminescence properties of Nd~(3+)-doped Y_2O_3-SiO_2 powders

We report the structural and photoluminescence (PL) properties of Nd³⁺-doped Y₂O₃-SiO₂ powders (Y₂O₃-SiO₂:Nd³⁺) as functions of annealing temperature and Nd³⁺ ion doping concentration. Y₂O₃-SiO₂:Nd³⁺ powders were prepared using the high-energy ball-milling (HEBM) method, and their structural and PL properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and PL spectroscopy. The XRD results reveal a cubic phase without impurities, and the peak broadening decreases with an increase in annealing temperature due to the increase in the crystallite size. The PL emission intensity increases with an increase in annealing temperature. The highest PL emission intensity is observed for the 300-min milled mixture annealed at 1000 °C for 1 h with a Nd³⁺ concentration of 1 mol%. The PL peaks excited by 800 nm radiation were detected, centered at 1080 nm (⁴F_3/2 → ⁴I_11/2) and 1350 nm (⁴F_3/2 → ⁴I_13/2).