Laser properties of YAG : Nd grown from the melt contained in molybdenum crucibles

YAG:Nd grown from the melt using resitance furnace and molybdenum crucibles were compared with those grown by conventional method using r.f. heating and iridium crucibles. The former were succesfully grown in 98% Ar + 2% H₂ protective a mosphere using an excess of Y₂O₃ in the melt and after it annealed in an oxidizing atmosphere followed by treatment in hydrogen to reach the material with minimum losses. Laser rods machined from such crystals, showed nearly the same properties as those prepared by conventional method.     

Fabrication of NdBa2Cu3O7−δ single crystals by the top-seeded solution-growth method in 1%, 21%, and 100% oxygen partial pressure atmosphere

Single crystals of NdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (Nd123) have been successfully grown by the top-seeded solution-growth (TSSG) method in 1%, 21% and 100% oxygen partial pressure atmosphere ((P(O₂) = 0.01 atm, P(O)₂) = 0.21 atm and P(O₂) = 1.00 atm). Ba---Cu---O solvent with a Ba to Cu ratio of 3:5 was used in a Nd₂O₃ crucible. Nd is supplied by the reaction between the molten solvent and the Nd₂O₃ crucible. Compositions of Nd123 single crystals grown in different oxygen partial pressure atmospheres were analyzed by inductivity coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and confirmed to be Nd:Ba:Cu = 1.01:1.97:3.00 for P(O₂) = 0.01 atm, Nd:Ba:Cu = 1.07:1.95:3.00 for P(O₂) = 0.21 atm and Nd:Ba:Cu = 1.10:1.90:3.00 for P(O₂) = 1.00 atm, respectively. The Nd123 single crystals grown in different oxygen partial pressure atmospheres were annealed in a pure oxygen gas flow, and the temperature dependence of the DC magnetization for these crystals was measured using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. The Nd123 single crystal grown in P(O₂) = 0.01 atm, and annealed at 340°C for 200 h showed a steep superconductive transition at 96 K. On the other hand, the Nd123 crystal grown in P(O₂) = 0.21, 1.00 atm and, annealed at 340°C for 200 h exhibited a broad transition at 92 K for P(O₂) = 0.21 atm and at 88 K for P(O₂) = 1.00 atm, respectively. Therefore for Nd123 single crystal production with high quality superconductive characteristics, a low oxygen partial pressure atmosphere during crystal growth is found to be effective for minimizing the substitution of Nd ions into Ba sites.     

Spectroscopic characteristics of the Nd3+ ions in garnet crystals

The article deals with the research of oscillator strengths and the Ω_t (t=2,4,6) intensity parameters of Nd³⁺ doped garnet crystals. It has been found that the absorption intensity of the ⁴I_9/2→⁴G_5/2, ²G_7/2 hypersensitive transition in the Ca₃(NbGa)₅O₁₂ crystals doped with Nd³⁺ is considerably higher than the corresponding values in the following garnet crystals: Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Nd, (GdY)₃(ScAl)₅O₁₂:Nd, Gd₃(ScAl)₅O₁₂:Nd and (GdСa)₃(GaZr)₅O₁₂:Nd. It has been established also that the Ω₂ intensity parameter of the Ca₃(NbGa)₅O₁₂:Nd crystals is one order of magnitude higher compared to the same parameter for the other garnet crystals. These effects in the Ca₃(NbGa)₅O₁₂:Nd crystals are explained by the presence of the Nd³⁺ ions optical sites with a symmetry of local environment C₂, C_2v, C₁.     

Growth and optical properties of In:Nd:LiNbO3 crystals

In, Nd double-doped LiNbO₃ (LN) crystals have been grown for the first time. Their infrared (IR) transmission spectra were measured and discussed to investigate their structure and defects. The optical damage resistance of Nd:In:LiNbO₃ crystals were characterized by straightly observing transmission facula distortion method. The optical damage resistance of In (4.0 mol%):Nd:LiNbO₃ was much higher than that of Nd:LiNbO₃. The defects were discussed in this paper to explain the optical damage resistance in the In:Nd:LiNbO₃ crystals.     

Optical properties and laser performance of neodymium doped scheelites CaWO4 and NaGd(WO4)2

Nd-doped CaWO₄ (CWO) and NaGd(WO₄)₂ (NGWO) single crystals with good optical quality have been grown by the Czochralski technique. The neodymium distribution coefficient in these matrices is about 0.4 for CWO and close to unity for NGWO. Polarized absorption and emission spectra have been recorded at room temperature and used to calculate the absorption and stimulated emission cross-sections.1 and 2% Nd : CWO and 1 % Nd:NGWO laser rods have been tested in a cavity longitudinaly pumped by an 1 W AIGaAs laser diode and compared to Nd : YAG and Nd:YVO₄ rods in the same conditions. The 2% Nd: CWO rod exhibits the best performance with slope efficiencies of 64%, higher than in the case of YAG and equal to the YVO₄ samples. The dependence of the laser output power versus the diode temperature has been measured for all these materials. The laser output of Nd: CWO was found to be nearly as stable as for Nd : YVO₄ and much more stable than in the case of Nd : YAG. A CWO microchip has also been tested for the first time to our knowledge.     

Simultaneous dual-wavelength laser operation at 1342 and 946 nm in two laser crystals and their sum-frequency mixing

A sum-frequency yellow-green laser at 554.9 nm is reported by this paper, 946 nm wavelength is obtained from ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_9/2 transition in Nd:YAG and 1342 nm wavelength is obtained from ⁴F_3/2-⁴I_13/2 transition in Nd:YVO₄. Using a doubly folded-cavity type-II critical phase matching KTP crystal intra cavity to make 946 nm laser from Nd:YAG and 1342 nm laser from Nd:YVO₄ frequency summed, with incident pumped power of 30 W in Nd:YAG and 20 W in Nd:YVO₄, TEM₀₀ mode yellow-green laser at 554.9 nm at 1.15 W is obtained and its M² factor is less than 1.22. The experimental results show that the Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO₄ crystals intra-cavity sum-frequency mixing is an effective method for yellow-green laser and it can be applied to other two laser crystals to obtain more all-solid-state lasers with different wavelengths.     

New lasers based on c-cut vanadat crystals

Spectroscopic and lasing properties of c-cut Nd-doped Nd:Gd_0.7Y_0.3VO₄, Nd:YVO₄, and Nd:GdVO₄ crystals were investigated. Spectral tuning from 1062 to 1067 nm was demonstrated. CW, Q-switching and mode-locking regimes for two-color laser operations were realized. A novel THz source based on Q-switch two-color diode-pumped solid state c-cut Nd:GdVO₄ laser with Filter Lio as selective element and the GaSe nonlinear optical crystals as convertor was demonstrated. Terahertz radiation with wavelength 436 mm (0.56 THz) was detected. One picosecond laser pulses in mode-locking diode pumped c-cut vanadat lasers with a Kerr-lens and PbS-doped glasses as saturable absorbers are observed.     

Five Simultaneously Q-Switch Mode-Locked Passive Laser Modulators

Five types of passive Q-switched as well as simultaneously Q-switch mode-locked modulators: plastic dye sheets (Kodak 9850 cellulose acetate dye sheets), lithium fluoride crystals containing F₂ ⁻ color centers (LiF:F₂ ⁻), chromium-doped yttrium–aluminum–garnet crystals (Cr⁴⁺:YAG), ionic color filter glass (Schott RG1000 color filter glass), and the single crystal semiconductor wafers (GaAs, Fe-doped InP, Zn-doped InP, S-doped InP, etc.) used for modulation of the Nd:hosted(Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO₄, and Nd:LSB) lasers were investigated in detail in our research. We also investigated applications of the Q-switch mode-locked pulse train for the development of a higher resolution solid-state laser range finder.     

Gamma-ray irradiation effect on the absorption and luminescence spectra of Nd:GGG and Nd:GSGG laser crystals

Laser crystals Nd³⁺:Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ (Nd:GGG) and Nd³⁺:Gd₃Sc₂Ga₃O₁₂ (Nd:GSGG) were grown by Czochralski method. The influence of gamma-ray irradiation on their absorption and luminescence spectra has been investigated. Two additional absorption (AA) bands induced by gamma-ray irradiation appear in the spectra of Nd:GGG crystal while only a very weak AA band appears for the Nd:GSGG crystal. This indicated that Nd:GSGG crystal has stronger ability to resist the color center formation by irradiation. The intensity of the excitation and emission spectra of Nd:GGG crystal decrease after the irradiation of 100 Mrad gamma-ray. In contrast, a luminescence strengthening effect was observed in Nd:GSGG crystal after exposure to the same irradiation dose. The results showed that the Nd:GSGG crystal is a promising candidate used under radiation environments such as in outer space.     

Neodymium concentration dependence of 0.94-, 1.06- and 1.34-μm laser emission and of heating effects under 809- and 885-nm diode laser pumping of Nd:YAG

Laser emission in the 0.94-, 1.06- and 1.34-micron ranges in diluted and concentrated Nd:YAG crystals longitudinally pumped by a 885-nm diode laser on the ⁴ I _9/2→⁴ F _3/2 transition is investigated. Continuous-wave operation at watt level in all these wavelength ranges is demonstrated with a 1.0-at. % Nd:YAG crystal; however, the laser performance is impeded by the low pump absorption efficiency. Improved output power and overall efficiency were obtained with a highly doped 2.5-at. % Nd:YAG crystal: 5.5 W at 1.06 μm and 3.8 W at 1.34 μm with 0.38 and 0.26 efficiencies, respectively. Comparative results with traditional pumping at 809 nm into the highly absorbing ⁴ F _5/2 level are presented, showing the advantage of the direct ⁴ F _3/2 pumping. The influence of the lasing wavelength and of the Nd concentration on the thermal effects induced by the optical pumping in the laser material is discussed. A clear relation between the heat generated in the Nd:YAG crystals in lasing and non-lasing regimes, a function of the Nd doping, is demonstrated. PACS 42.55.Rz; 42.60.By; 42.60.Da     

Operational characteristics of dual gain single cavity Nd:YVO4 laser

Operational characteristics of a dual gain single cavity Nd:YVO₄ laser have been investigated. With semiconductor diode laser pump power of 2 W, 800 mW output was obtained with a slope efficiency of 49%. Further, by changing the relative orientation of the two crystals the polarization characteristics of the output could be varied. In particular by keeping the two Nd:YVO₄ crystals with their c-axes orthogonal to each other and adjusting the gain of the crystals so that both operate at approximately the same power level, completely unpolarized beams could be obtained.     

Systematic study on thermal lens effect and passive Q-switching of diode-pumped 1.34-μm Nd:GdxY1 ? xVO4 laser with different output couplers

The thermal lens effect and passively Q-switched laser performance of mixed Nd:Gd _x Y_{1 − x} VO₄ crystals at 1.34 μm with 5 and 10% as the output transmissions have been systematically studied. Compared with the single vanadate crystal Nd:GdVO₄, the mixed Nd:Gd _x Y_{1 − x} VO₄ crystals can enhance passively Q-switched laser characteristics due to their smaller emission cross sections, although they have stronger thermal lens effects which result in decreasing the average output power. The largest peak power and pulse energy, obtained for Nd:Gd_0.63Y_0.37VO₄, were 2.9 and 1.7 times as those of Nd:GdVO₄ under the uniform conditions.     

Actively Q-switched laser performance of Nd:Gd x Y1−x VO4: a class of mixed vanadate crystals

We report for the first time the actively Q-switched laser performance of a class of mixed Nd:Gd _x Y_1−x VO₄ crystals. In comparison with the ordered Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YVO₄, an enhancement in both pulse energy and peak power is demonstrated in the low pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) range of 5–20 kHz, confirming Nd:Gd_0.64 Y_0.36VO₄ as the most advantageous in this respect. Laser pulses of 8.3-ns duration are generated at PRF=10 kHz with pulse energy and peak power being respectively 171 μJ and 20.6 kW. While for high-PRF operation (>∼40 kHz), the ordered Nd:GdVO₄ and Nd:YVO₄ prove to be superior to the mixed crystals.     

Passively Q-switched laser performance of the mixed crystals Nd:Lu0.15 Y0.85 VO4, Nd:Lu0.5 Y0.5 VO4 and Nd:Lu0.33Y0.37Gd0.3VO4 with GaAs saturable absorber

By using the mixed crystals Nd:Lu_0.15 Y_0.85 VO₄, Nd:Lu_0.5Y_0.5VO₄ and Nd:Lu_0.33Y_0.37Gd_0.3VO₄ as laser media, the LD pumped passively Q-switched mixed lasers with GaAs saturable absorber are realized. The average output power, the pulse width etc. have been measured and compared. The experimental results show that the passively Q-switched Nd:Lu_0.33Y_0.37Gd_0.3VO₄ laser can generate shorter pulse width with higher peak power due to broader fluorescence line-width. Under Gaussian spatial distribution approximation, the rate equations for LD pumped passively Q-switched lasers of the mixed crystals with GaAs saturable absorber are given. The numerical solutions of the equations are in agreement with the experimental results.     

A novel orthogonally linearly polarized Nd:YVO4 laser

We presented a novel orthogonally linearly polarized Nd:YVO₄ laser. Two pieces of a-cut grown-together composite YVO₄/Nd:YVO₄ crystals were placed in the resonant cavity with the c-axis of the two crystals orthogonally. The polarization and power performance of the orthogonally polarized laser were investigated. A 26.2-W orthogonally linearly polarized laser was obtained. The power ratio between the two orthogonally polarized lasers was varied with the pump power caused by the polarized mode coupling. The longitudinal modes competition and the corresponding variable optical beats were also observed from the orthogonally polarized laser. We also adjusted the crystals with their c-axis parallele to each other, and a 40.7-W linearly polarized TEM₀₀ laser was obtained, and the beam quality factors were M²_x=1.37 and M²_y=1.25.     

New green self-frequency-doubling diode-pumped Nd:Ca4GdO(BO3)3 laser

3+ :Ca₄GdO(BO₃)₃ (Nd:GdCOB). 21 mW of green cw laser emission for an absorbed pump power of 820 mW were achieved under laser diode-pumping. 64 mW of green cw laser output were obtained with 1 W of absorbed pump power under titanium-sapphire pumping. Its availability in large-size crystals with good optical quality makes Nd:GdCOB a true challenger to the best SFD laser crystal reported so far: Nd:YAl₃(BO₃)₄ (Nd:YAB or NYAB). Received: 2 March 1998/Revised version: 20 May 1998     

Electrode reaction at platinum / ceria surface modified YSZ interface

The electrode reaction was examined on ceria coated YSZ by a platinum point electrode in H₂-H₂O atmosphere at 973 K- 1173 K. The thickness of the ceria coating layer was altered from 0 to 2.5 μm, fabricated by a laser ablation and by a vacuum vapor deposition method on YSZ single crystals. The electrode / electrolyte interface conductivity increased with 1/4 powers ofp(H₂) andp(H₂O) on both ceria coated and non-coated YSZ. The interface conductivity was significantly improved on a thicker ceria coating surface than 1 μm. The effective electrode reaction radius also increased in a thick ceria coating. The¹⁸O/¹⁶O exchange experiment at low oxygen partial pressure revealed that the oxygen surface exchange rate of ceria is not high compared with that of YSZ. It can be concluded that the bulk ionic conduction of ceria makes a more effective contribution to the electrode reaction than the surface catalytic activity in H₂-H₂O atmosphere. Paper presented at the 4th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Renvyle, Galway, Ireland, Sept. 13–19, 1997     

Restored thermoluminescence in oxide crystals

In this paper, we present the results of a thermoluminescence study on several oxide crystals, including Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG), Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Nd (YAG:Nd), Lu₂SiO₅:Ce (LSO:Ce), Y₂SiO₅:Ce (YSO:Ce), Gd₂SiO₅:Ce (GSO:Ce), PbWO (PWO), and PbWO:La (PWO:La). A phenomenon involving restoration of thermoluminescence (TL) glow peaks is found to occur in some of the crystals investigated; crystals γ-irradiated at room temperature and subsequently stored for some time in the dark at 77 K exhibit TL glow peaks in the range below room temperature. This phenomenon is caused not by a thermally or optically stimulated process, but rather as a by-product of a tunneling process. The intensity of the restored TL glow peaks measured in LSO:Ce crystals is found to be proportional both to the radiation dose and to the storage-time at low temperature. A phenomenological theoretical model is proposed, in which tunneling recombination occurs between deep electron and hole traps accompanied by the simultaneous ejection of an electron to the conduction band; some of these conduction electrons then repopulate shallow traps. An oxygen vacancy with two trapped electrons is assumed to be the deep electron trap in this model. The role of oxygen vacancies is confirmed by heating in air at 1000 °C. This model is applied specifically to LSO:Ce, and several possible candidates are suggested for shallow traps in that material.     

Growth and characterization of a new organic NLO material: Glycine nitrate

Single crystals of glycine nitrate [(C₂H₆NO₂)⁺ · (NO₃)⁻] were grown using submerged seed solution method. The crystals were characterized by using single crystal X-ray diffraction and density measurements. Spectroscopic, thermal and optical studies were carried out for analyzing the presence of the functional groups, thermal stability, decomposition and transparency of the sample. These studies showed that the crystals are thermally stable upto 145 °C and transparent for the fundamental and second harmonic generation of Nd:YAG (λ = 1064 nm) laser. Second harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency was investigated to explore the NLO characteristics of this material. Microhardness and dielectric studies were also carried out.     

Micromechanical and thermal behaviour of gel grown pure- and sodium-modified copper tartrate crystals

Results regarding micromechanical characteristics of gel grown pure- and sodium-modified copper tartrate crystals, bearing composition CuC₄H₄O₆·3H₂O, (Cu)_0.77(Na)_0.23C₄H₄O₆·3H₂O and (Cu)_0.65(Na)_0.35C₄H₄O₆·H₂O, as obtained on using indentation induced hardness testing technique are reported. Thermal behaviour of these crystals in the temperature ranging from room temperature (∼25 °C) to about 600 °C is also reported. Pure copper tartrate crystals are found to be thermally more stable than the sodium-modified ones. Dependence of Vickers’ hardness number H_v on load ranging from 0.049 to 2.94 N on two different planes for all the three compositions is analyzed. It is shown that after initial rise in the value of H_v, the same achieves saturation at a load of 0.49 N. Modification of copper tartrate crystal by introducing sodium in its lattice brings about a change in the micromechanical characteristics. The saturation value of H_v decreases with increase in the concentration of sodium ions. The results on (0 0 1) and (1 1 1) planes for both pure and modified copper tartrate crystals suggest hardness anisotropy. Relative difference of hardness between the two planes and yield strength for both pure and modified copper tartrate crystals is worked out. The experimental results are analyzed for applicability of Meyer’s law and Proportional Specimen Resistance Model. It is suggested that the experimental results indicating reverse ISE phenomenon may be explained in terms of the existence of a distorted zone near the crystal-medium interface. The integral method of Coats and Redfern approximation applied to the thermoanalytical data suggests “Random Nucleation Model” for the reaction kinetics of these crystals. Non-isothermal kinetic parameters such as activation energy, frequency factor and order of reaction are calculated.