Efficient lasing in diode-pumped Yb3+:CaF2–SrF2 solid-solution single crystals

Single crystals of solid solutions of a high optical quality are grown in the concentration vicinity of the saddle point of the ternary CaF2–SrF2–YbF3 system. Efficient lasing with a small Stokes shift (at 1025 nm) was obtained in 980-nm diode-pumped single crystals. The total lasing efficiency (with respect to the absorbed average pump power) was 59% and the slope efficiency was 83%.