Abstract

The paper considered the problems of research and development of chromium-doped rare-earth garnet hosts. The garnet structure, due to it’s three different sublattices, enables the introduction of a great variety of ions belonging to the different groups of elements in the Periodic table. On this account one can change the garnet's composition within extensive limits and that gives an opportunity to change the physical properties of garnet crystals purposefully and sufficiently fine. Chromium ions are used in garnet hosts as an activator in the case of tunable lasers as well as a sensitizer in the case of high efficiency rare-earth solid state lasers. The requisite condition of efficient operation of chromium in lasers of both types is the arranging of relatively weak crystal field strength (D_q) for Cr³⁺ ions in the host [1], The small D_q values in garnet hosts can be provided with the increase of (Cr³⁺ - O²⁻) distance in octahedral sites and the corresponding increase of lattice parameter of the garnet [2].

© 1986 Optical Society of America