Polarized spectroscopic properties and 1046 nm laser operation of Yb3+:Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 crystal

Abstract

A Yb3+:Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 single crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. Polarized absorption and fluorescence spectra of the crystal were measured at room temperature. The peak absorption cross sections at 977 nm are 3.69 × 10−20 and 2.03 × 10−20 cm2 for σ and π polarizations, respectively. The crystal has a broad gain band with a full width at half-maximum of 58 nm around 1 μm for σ polarization when the inversion parameter is 0.2. The intrinsic fluorescence lifetime of the 2F5/2 multiplet of the crystal was fitted to be 634 μs. Pumped by a 976 nm diode laser, a 1046 nm continuous-wave laser with a maximum output power of 2.8 W and a slope efficiency of 52.6% was achieved in the crystal. The results show the Yb3+:Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 crystal may be a potential gain medium for tunable and ultrashort pulse lasers at 1 μm.