Abstract
A new laser medium Nd3+:GdTaO4 single crystal with high optical quality was grown successfully by the Czochralski method, and its high-efficiency laser operation at 1,066 nm was demonstrated for the first time. The absorption cross section of the crystal at 808 nm is 5.098 × 10−20 cm2, and the full width at half maximum of this absorption band is about 6 nm. Spectral properties are investigated by Judd–Ofelt theory. The stimulated emission cross section at 1,066 nm is 3.9 × 10−19 cm2, and the fluorescence lifetime of 4F3/2 level is 178.4 μs. A diode end-pumped Nd:GdTaO4 laser at 1,066 nm with the maximum output power of 2.5 W is achieved in the continuous-wave mode. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency and slope efficiency are 34.6 and 36 %, respectively. In addition, the fluorescence branching ratio of 4F3/2 → 4I9/2 transition reaches 44.4 %, indicating that Nd:GdTaO4 may be an efficient laser medium at 920 nm. All the results demonstrate that Nd:GdTaO4 crystal is a good candidate for laser diode-pumped laser material.
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This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 51172236, 91122021, 51272254, 61205173).
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Peng, F., Yang, H., Zhang, Q. et al. Spectroscopic properties and laser performance at 1,066 nm of a new laser crystal Nd:GdTaO4 . Appl. Phys. B 118, 549–554 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-015-6031-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-015-6031-2