Resumen: In this work glass rods of (MgxCa1-x)3Al2Si3O12 (x = 0, 0-5 and 1) doped with 1 wt% Nd2O3 were produced by the laser floating zone technique. Thermo-mechanical and spectroscopic properties have been evaluated. The three glass samples present good thermo-mechanical properties, with similar hardness, toughness and glass transition temperatures. The spectroscopic characterization shows spectral shifts in absorption and emission spectra. These spectral shifts together with Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters and ionic packing ratio have been used to investigate the local structure surrounding the Nd3+ ions and the covalency of the Nd-O bond. All obtained results agree and confirm the higher covalency of the Nd-O bond in the Ca3Al2Si3O12 glass. Idioma: Inglés DOI: 10.1364/OE.23.026356 Año: 2015 Publicado en: Optics Express 23, 20 (2015), 26356-26368 ISSN: 1094-4087 Factor impacto JCR: 3.148 (2015) Categ. JCR: OPTICS rank: 14 / 91 = 0.154 (2015) - Q1 - T1 Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.91 - Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics (Q1)