Enhanced ultraviolet photoluminescence of Gd3+ in silica glass

Enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) of Gd
³⁺
-doped silica glass densified by rapid thermal treatment (RTT) in the ultraviolet (UV) is investigated. The strong emission at 314 nm is assigned to the
⁶
P7/2 to
⁸
S7/2 transition under excitation of
⁶
Dj,
⁶
Ij, and
⁶
Pj energy levels of the Gd
³⁺
. Significant decrease of the loss covering the UV band is observed.