Abstract
Influence of impurities and thermal treatment on spectroscopic properties and laser performance of thulium-doped yttrium vanadate crystals was examined. YVO4 crystals nominally pure, single doped with Tm3+ and co-doped with Tm3+ and Ca2+ were grown by the Czochralski method and then thermally treated at 1150 °C for several hours in a reducing atmosphere (vacuum) or oxidizing atmosphere (air). Samples of crystals were investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and by optical spectroscopy methods. Laser performance of samples was examined upon laser diode pumping. For pure YVO4 and for YVO4 containing 0.5 at. % of Tm a single-site NMR spectrum of 51V nuclei was observed with central line widths of 2.5 and 3.2 kHz (FWHM), respectively. For samples containing 5 at. % of Tm the NMR spectrum was a superposition of multi-site spectra indicating at least three kinds of vanadium sites with axial symmetry. Optical absorption spectra did not contain bands that could be ascribed to V4+ ions in tetragonal sites. Level of matrix absorption in the visible region and its increase with decreasing wavelength from about 600 to 370 nm was found to be substantially dependent on conditions of thermal treatment. Thermal treatment of crystals and additional doping with Ca did not influence the 3 F 4 lifetime of thulium and laser performance of crystals, however. Infrared absorption spectra revealed OH- contamination in all samples. It has been concluded that the quenching of the 3 F 4 emission in samples containing 5 at. % of thulium is related to migration-accelerated energy transfer to hydroxyl ions acting as energy sinks.
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PACS
42.55.Xi; 42.62.Fi
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Lisiecki, R., Macalik, B., Dominiak-Dzik, G. et al. Influence of impurities and thermal treatment on spectroscopic properties and laser performance of thulium-doped yttrium vanadate crystals. Appl. Phys. B 90, 477–483 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-007-2908-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-007-2908-z