Tunable Laser Crystal Host Systems

Abstract

Tunable solid state lasers were first demonstrated by Johnson, Dietz and Guggenheim as early as 1963. Only after the renewed interest in laser pumping of Ni2+:MgF2 and Co2+:MgF2 in addition to the first demonstrated tunable laser action in Cr3+ doped Al2BeO4 (alexandrite), were tunable solid state lasers considered for practical use. Since then several crystalline hosts for Cr3+ have been developed in addition to the demonstration of Ti3+ as an active ion for tunable lasers. All of these lasers belong to a class that can be loosely defined as active ion doped, optically pumped crystalline lasers. The distinction between this class and color center lasers lies mainly in the relative low stimulated emission cross section and long lifetime for the transition metal ions as compared to color centers. However d to f transitions in rare earth ions are similar to color centers.KeywordsFluorescent LifetimeColor CenterTunable LaserExcited State AbsorptionHost CrystalThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.