Crystal growth and optical properties of YbAl 3(BO 3) 4: a promising stoichiometric laser crystal

Abstract

Single crystals of ytterbium aluminum borate YbAl 3(BO 3) 4 (YbAB) have been grown by the high-temperature top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) method. The structure of the YbAB crystal has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. It belongs to the space group R32 with unit cell parameters: a=0.92512 nm, c=0.71893 nm, Z=3, V=0.53284 nm 3, and the density of the crystal is 4.574 g/cm 3. The absorption and fluorescence spectra have been measured at room temperature. The absorption cross-section, emission cross-section and fluorescence lifetime have been estimated as 2.1×10 −20, 1.0×10 −20 cm 2 and 140 μs respectively, and the results indicate that the crystal is a promising stoichiometric laser material.