Growth and spectral properties of Nd:GdVO 4 laser crystal

Abstract

In this paper, the Czochralski growth, absorption spectra, and photoluminescence spectra of Nd:GdVO 4 crystals are studied. From its absorption spectra, Nd:GdVO 4 is found to exhibit an anisotropic optical absorption effect, and its effective Judd–Ofelt parameters are calculated: Ω 2=10.281×10 −20 cm 2, Ω 4=5.426×10 −20 cm 2 and Ω 6=9.943×10 −20 cm 2. By these parameters, the absorption oscillator strengths, emission oscillator strengths, transition probabilities, fluorescence branch ratios, energy lifetimes, and integrated emission cross-sections are also derived. The photoluminescence spectra of Nd:GdVO 4 crystal consist of a wide emission band of host and the characteristic emission bands of Nd 3+. Based on the excitation spectrum, both the two evident peaks locating at 345 and 371 nm are ascribed to the characteristic excitation of Nd 3+, and an energy transfer from the host to its doping Nd 3+ ions is indicated.