Growth, spectroscopic characterization, and laser performance of Nd:LuVO_4, a new infrared laser material that is suitable for diode pumping

The spectroscopic properties and laser operation of a new neodymium-doped vanadate crystal, Nd:LuVO4, grown by the flux technique are reported. Polarized absorption and emission spectra were recorded at low and room temperatures, excited-state absorption was measured near 1060 and 1340 nm, and laser emission at 1066 nm was obtained after pumping near 809 and 880 nm.

[1]  Tsuguo Fukuda,et al.  Growth and optical properties of ErVO4 and LuVO4 single crystals , 1996 .

[2]  Richard Moncorgé,et al.  Nd doped crystals for medical laser applications , 1997 .

[3]  Th. Förster.  Zwischenmolekulare Energiewanderung und Fluoreszenz , 1948 .

[4]  Norman P. Barnes,et al.  Physics of quasi-four-level lasers , 1995, Photonics West.

[5]  B. Judd,et al.  OPTICAL ABSORPTION INTENSITIES OF RARE-EARTH IONS , 1962 .

[6]  D. Descamps,et al.  Excited-state absorption and up-conversion losses in the Nd doped glasses for high power lasers , 2000, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics-Europe.

[7]  G. S. Ofelt.  Intensities of Crystal Spectra of Rare‐Earth Ions , 1962 .

[8]  Mikhail A. Noginov,et al.  Study of luminescence concentration quenching and energy transfer upconversion in Nd-doped LaSc 3 (BO 3 ) 4 and GdVO 4 laser crystals , 1998 .

[9]  E. Cavalli,et al.  Multiphonon relaxation in YVO 4 single crystals , 2000 .

[10]  Norman P. Barnes,et al.  Diode-pumped Ho:Tm:LuLiF/sub 4/ laser at room temperature , 1997 .

[11]  S. Jackel,et al.  Thermally boosted pumping of neodymium lasers. , 2000, Applied optics.

[12]  Tadashi Itoh,et al.  Ce/sup 3+/-activated fluoride crystals as prospective active media for widely tunable ultraviolet ultrafast lasers with direct 10-ns pumping , 1995 .

[13]  N. Edelstein,et al.  Infrared luminescence spectrum and crystal-field analysis of neodymium-doped yttrium vanadate , 1988 .

[14]  Norman P. Barnes,et al.  YLF Isomorphs for Ho and Tm Laser Applications , 2004 .

[15]  T. S. Lomheim,et al.  Optical‐absorption intensities of trivalent neodymium in the uniaxial crystal yttrium orthovanadate , 1978 .

[16]  L. Deshazer,et al.  Vanadate crystals exploit diode-pump technology , 1994 .

[17]  H. Da̧bkowska,et al.  Single crystal growth conditions and characterization of some rare-earth vanadates , 1985 .

[18]  A. Vasil’ev,et al.  Luminescence properties and scintillation mechanisms of cerium- and praseodymium-doped lutetium orthoaluminate , 1997 .

[19]  Raphael Lavi,et al.  885 nm high-power diodes end-pumped Nd:YAG laser , 2001 .

[20]  K. Rajnak,et al.  Electronic Energy Levels in the Trivalent Lanthanide Aquo Ions. I. Pr3+, Nd3+, Pm3+, Sm3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, Er3+, and Tm3+ , 1968 .

[21]  B. Chai,et al.  Excited state absorption and stimulated emission of Nd3+ in crystals. Part 2: YVO4, GdVO4, and Sr5(PO4)3F , 1998 .

[22]  Garnier,et al.  Excited-state-absorption and upconversion studies of Nd3+-doped single crystals Y3Al5O12, YLiF4, and LaMgAl11O19. , 1995, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[23]  Chia-Chun Liao,et al.  Determination of the Auger upconversion rate in fiber-coupled diode end-pumped Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO4 crystals , 2000 .

[24]  S. Girard,et al.  Excited-state absorption spectroscopy of Er 3 + -doped Y 3 Al 5 O 12 , YVO 4 , and phosphate glass , 1999 .

[25]  D. L. Dexter.  A Theory of Sensitized Luminescence in Solids , 1953 .

[26]  M Katz,et al.  Efficient pumping scheme for neodymium-doped materials by direct excitation of the upper lasing level. , 1999, Applied optics.

[27]  Lloyd L. Chase,et al.  Infrared cross-section measurements for crystals doped with Er/sup 3+/, Tm/sup 3+/, and Ho/sup 3+/ , 1992 .

[28]  B. Chai,et al.  Comparison of Laser Performance of Nd-Doped YVO4, GdVO4, Ca5(PO4)3F, Sr5(PO4)3F and Sr5(VO4)3F , 2004 .

[29]  B. Viana,et al.  Correlation between rare-earth oscillator strengths and rare-earth-valence-band interactions in neodymium-doped YMO 4 (M=V, P, As), Y 3 Al 5 O 12 , and LiYF 4 matrices , 1999 .

[30]  R. A. Fields,et al.  Highly efficient Nd:YVO4 diode‐laser end‐pumped laser , 1987 .