Compositional Effects On Nd[sup]3+[/sup] Concentration Quenching In The System R[sub]2[/sub]0 A1[sub]2[/sub]0[sub]3[/sub] Ln[sub]2[/sub]0[sub]3[/sub] P[sub]2[/sub]0[sub]5[/sub]

Most solid state laser materials exhibit pronounced concentration quenching; at Nd3+ ion concentrations above ≈2 x 1020 cm-3 non-radiative transfer of excited state energy between neodymium ions inhibits fluorescence and sharply reduces the quantum efficiency. Although other ions such as hydroxyl and many transition metals produce similar quenching effects, they are extrinsic contaminants and Nd self-quenching represents the material baseline. Reducing concentration quenching behavior is important for applications such as miniaturized lasers for electro-optic applications where high dopant concentrations and high induced emission cross-sections are desirable.