Triple-Wavelength Lasing with a Stabilized β-LaBSiO<sub>5</sub>:Nd<sup>3+</sup> Crystal
Lingyun Li, Fazheng Huang, Yi Shi, Zhong‐Zhen Luo, Guoqiang Wang, Xin‐Xiong Li, Bingxuan Li, Lizhen Zhang, Yi Yu, Yi Yu, Ya‐Nan Feng, Chengkai Yang, Yan Yu, Yan Yu, Kenneth R. Poeppelmeier
Abstract
Multi-wavelength lasers, especially the triple-wavelength laser around 1060 nm, could be produced by the 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition of Nd3+ and present numerous challenges and opportunities in the field of optoelectronics. The Nd3+-doped high-temperature phase of LaBSiO5 (β-LBSO) is an ideal crystal to produce triple-wavelength lasers; however, the crystal growth is challenging because of the phase transition from β-LBSO to low-temperature phase (α-LBSO) at 162 °C. This phase transition is successfully suppressed when the doping content of Nd3+ is larger than 6.3 at. %, and the Nd3+-doped β-LBSO is stable at room temperature. The local disorder of BO4 tetrahedra due to Nd3+ doping is essential to the stabilization of β-LBSO. For the first time, the β-LBSO:8%Nd3+ crystal with a dimension of 1.8 × 1.8 × 1.8 cm3 is obtained through the top-seeded solution method. The crystal shows strong optical absorption in the range of 785–815 nm, matching well with the commercial laser diode pumping source. The optical emission of 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 splits into four peaks with the highest optical emission cross section of 2.14 × 10–20 cm2 at 1068 nm. The continuous-wave triple-wavelength generation of coherent light at 1047, 1071, and 1092 nm is achieved with the highest output power of 235 mW and efficiency of 12.1%.