Abstract

New low phonon energy rare earth (RE) doped sodium-yttrium double fluoride crystals RE³⁺:Na_0.4Y_0.6 F_2.2 (RE^{3 +}:NYF) represent a particular interest for application as active media for solid-state lasers emitting in VIS and IR spectral domains not only due to the wide spectral domain of RE emission (from U V up to ~3 μm) but also due to inhomogeneous broadening in RE spectra in these crystals, which is a consequence of a disordered crystal structure of the 2NaF-3YF₃ system. This property permits to obtain tuneable lasing and, from the other hand, to reduce requirements on the stability of pumping laser diode (LD) emission. The Nd^{3 +}:NYF crystals are known as active media, in which tuneable laser action in the region from 1.04 to 1.07 mm has been demonstrated [1]; in the double fluoride Er^{3 +}:NYF crystals a CW laser action at 2.8 μm was achieved under LD pumping [2].

© 2009 IEEE