Spectroscopic characterization of possible Nd3+ and Tm3+ laser active media

Author(s)

Andrea Simone Stucchi de Camargo

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Carlos. , gráficos, ilustrações, tabelas.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC/BT)
• Defense date: 2003-10-31

Examining board members

Luiz Antonio de Oliveira Nunes; Mauro Luciano Baesso; Oscar Manoel Loureiro Malta; Younes Messaddeq; Sidney José Lima Ribeiro

• Advisor: Luiz Antonio de Oliveira Nunes
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca do Instituto de Física de São Carlos; IFSC-F/Te1559

Abstract

In this work we have made an important contribution to the growing research of new laser materials that can be pumped by low cost diode lasers or by the Upconversion process to operate in the near-infrared and visible spectral regions. Three kinds of hosts, doped with the rare earth ions (Nd3+ and Tm3+) were studied, and they present potential characteristics as laser active media. Single crystal fibers of yttrium and gadolinium orthovanadates grown by LHPG are very attractive for the construction of compact lasers due to the versatility and low cost of the growing process. A neodymium-doped YVO4 fiber adapted to an end-pump laser cavity presented efficient emission at 1.064 µm, similar to that obtained for a Czochralski grown bulk crystal. A study of ion-ion and host-ion interactions was done for GaLaS glass to investigate the influence of these processes on fluorescence quantum efficiencies. For GaLaS:Tm3+, positive gain was estimated at 1,8 µm and it was also observed that the 1,47 µm emission is efficient under appropriate pumping. Finally, transparent PLZT ferroelectric ceramic samples were characterized and the results also point out that PLZT:Nd3+ might become a potential laser host. (AU)