[OPTICAL REVIEW Vol. 4, No. 2 (1997) 309-315]
New Crystalline Lasers on the Base of Monoclinic KR(WO4)2:Ln3+ Tungstates (R=Y and Ln)
Alexander A. KAMINSKII,1,* Ludmila LI,1,* Andre V. BUTASHIN,1,* Vladimir S. MIRONOV,1,* Alexsei A. PAVLYUK,2,* Sergey N. BAGAYEV4,* and Ken-ichi UEDA3,*
1Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences 117333 Moscow, Russia, 2Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, 3Institute of Laser Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia, 4Institute for Laser Science, University of Electro-Communications, 182 Tokyo, Japan
(Received November 8, 1996; Accepted December 20, 1996)
Monoclinic KY(WO4)2:Pr3+, Tm3+:KY(WO4)2:Er3+,Yb3+ single crystals are grown by low-gradient Czochralski technique. Stimulated emission at 1.0223 μm wavelength in the new lasing 1D2→3F3 channel of Pr3+ ions in KY(WO4)2 at room temperature under Xe-flashlamp pumping is excited. Full sets of Stark-level energies for Pr3+ ions in KY(WO4)2 and KGd(WO4)2 crystals at 77 K are determined. 4f2-4f2 intensity-transitions for the KY(WO4)2:Pr3+ are analyzed preliminarily. All observed at present and earlier one-micron Pr3+-ion, induced transitions in the 1D2→3F3 and 1D2→3F4 channels are identified. In yttrium and gadolinium sensitized-tungstates a two-micron (3H4→3H6) low-threshold generation of Tm3+ ions at cryogenic temperatures is achieved.
Key words : solid state laser, new laser, infrared laser, diode pumped laser, double potassium rare-earth tungstates, laser crystals
*All authors cooperate with the Joint Open Laboratory for Laser Crystals and Precise Laser Systems at the Institute of Crystallography and Institute of Laser Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences.