Glass design, Tm3+-doped germanate laser glasses, Neighboring glassy compounds, Quantitative prediction, Luminescent properties, Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, TA401-492

Tm3+-doped germanate glasses are crucial for advancing 2 μm band fiber laser technologies; however, challenges remain in designing novel laser glasses, leaving experimental trial-and-error as main approach. This study presents an innovative approach in which Tm3+-doped multicomponent germanate laser glasses are described as a statistical ensemble of their neighboring glassy compounds (NGCs), with physical and luminescent properties modeled as ensemble averages over their NGCs, referred to as the NGCs model. Experimental validation of the model for Tm3+-doped quaternary germanate (GeO2-BaO-Ga2O3-La2O3) system demonstrates its excellent predictive capabilities, with relative errors below 5 % for physical properties and under 10 % for luminescent properties, allowing it to establish the comprehensive composition-property space. Using the NGCs model, multi-property design charts were developed to facilitate the rational design of Tm3+-doped germanate laser glasses for targeted applications by identifying compositions that satisfy various constraints. This work provides a cost-efficient, high-performance strategy for the rapid design of Tm3+-doped germanate laser glasses with tailored superior performance.