Optical properties of Nd,Th:LaAlO3 demonstrates its potential in high-energy pulsed laser

Abstract

Report, to the best of our knowledge, the first laser operation of perovskite oxide LaAlO3 doped with 1 at.% Nd ions and 0.2 at.%Th (Nd,Th:LaAlO3). Optical properties of Nd,Th:LaAlO3 were demonstrated. We study the influence of Th dopants on the domain structure and spectroscopic properties of LaAlO3. Under 793 nm diode-pumped excitation, we achieve a continuous-wave laser output at 1080 nm with a slope efficiency of 36 % and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 34 % under a Toc = 5 % output coupler. The emission cross section of Nd,Th:LaAlO3 reaches 3.65 × 10−20 cm2 at 1080 nm, the saturation flux is 5 J/cm2. The fluorescence lifetime reaches 317 μs and the thermal conductivity is 10.3 W/m·K at 25 °C. Considering its excellent mechanical properties and thermal conductivity, Nd,Th:LaAlO3 is a promising high-energy pulsed laser material.