Enhanced broadband 3 μm emission in Yb3+/Dy3+:YAlO3 crystal under 979 nm excitation. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cai, Xiu-Yuan; Wang, Yan; Li, Jian-Fu; Zhu, Zhao-Jie; You, Zhen-Yu; Sun, Yi-Jian; Xu, Ya-Dong; Jie, Wan-Qi; Wang, Xi-Hu; Tu, Chao-Yang
• Is Part Of: Vacuum. Volume 181(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: Yb3+/Dy3+:YAP crystal -- XRD -- Mid-infrared laser -- Decay lifetime -- Emission cross-section -- Energy transfer micro-parameter; Vacuum -- Periodicals; 621.55
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vacuum.2020.109647
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0042-207X

Abstract

Abstract: Yb 3+ ion was introduced as a sensitizer for commercial 980 nm pump source utilization in Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ co-doped YAP crystal for the first time. An intense broadband 3 μm emission (Dy 3+ : 6 H13/2 → 6 H15/2 transition) in Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ :YAP crystal was demonstrated. As compared with Dy 3+ singly-doped YAP crystal under 802 nm OPO excitation, the larger emission cross-section (=4.25 × 10 −21 cm 2 ) and effective emission bandwidth (=316 nm) were obtained in Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ :YAP crystal under 979 nm OPO laser excitation, which make it favorable for tunable lasers. The energy transfer efficiency from Yb 3+ to Dy 3+ was obtained as high as 97.2%. The greatly reduced near-infrared emission of Yb 3+ : 2 F5/2 → 2 F7/2 transition and largely shortened lifetime of Yb 3+ : 2 F5/2, also reveal the efficient energy transfer from Yb 3+ to Dy 3+ . The energy transfer micro-parameters were calculated by spectral overlapping integral method, and the main energy transfer channel is determined. In addition, the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum were measured in Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ :YAP crystal. Rietveld refinement was also employed to investigate the variation in lattice parameters in Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ :YAP crystal. It can be concluded that Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ :YAP is an excellent candidate for achieving mid-infrared laser. Highlights: Dy 3+ :YAP and Yb 3+ /Dy 3+ :YAP crystals were grown by Czochralski method. EDS, XRD, and Raman spectrum were used for crystal characterization. Intense broadband ~3 μm emission was observed in Yb 3+, Dy 3+ :YAP crystal under 979 nm excitation. Possible energy transfer channels from Yb 3+ to Dy 3+ were specifically discussed.