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A representative of heavy metal oxide glasses, i.e., a PbO- Bi2O3-Ga2O3 glass, was investigated to identify the network structure of the glass and the electronic transition properties of rare-earth ions doped. X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses showed that gallium forms GaO4 tetrahedral units with an average Ga-O bond length of approximately 1.87 A. Lead forms both PbO3 and PbO4 polyhedra, but the fraction of PbO4 decreases with decreasing PbO content. Bismuth in glasses constructs BiO5 and BiO6 polyhedra, which have a similar coordination scheme of the (alpha) -Bi2O3 crystal. Formation of three-coordinated oxygens is necessary to compensate shortage of oxygens to be two-fold coordinated. These glasses exhibit a relatively good thermal stability as well as the lowest phonon energy among oxide glasses, and thereby enhance numerous fluorescence emissions that are quenched in the conventional oxide glasses. Magnitudes of multiphonon relaxation are the lowest among oxide glasses and comparable to those of fluoride glasses. Fluorescence emission characteristics of Pr3+: 1.3 micrometer and Er3+: 2.7 micrometer were discussed in detail. In addition, influence of OH- on the Nd3+: 1.3 micrometer emission was analyzed. Further research efforts on impurity minimization and fiberization may realize a new oxide-based fiber-optic host.
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