Spectral diversity crystalline fluoride lasers

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6063668

Jenssen, H P; Gabbe, D R; Linz, A; Naiman, C S

Within the realm of crystalline laser materials, the class of fluorides distinguishes itself mostly by the wide variety of laser wavelengths displayed. Laser operation has now been reported from 3.9 micrometers in the infrared to 286 nm in the ultraviolet. Many are operated flash-lamp pumped, while others have shown high utility as linear down conversion lasers and rare earth ion, while others are sensitized by other co-dopants which absorb the pump energy and transfer it to the active laser ions. The potential of large spectral diversity for laser operation is due both to the wide window of transparency that fluorides possess and the lower rates of nonradiative decay. The high band gap in the ultraviolet also leads to low linear absorption, low nonlinear refractive indices and multiphoton absorption. Additionally, the good chemical stability displayed by high-purity stoichiometric fluoride compounds allows their use with ultraviolet pump sources at high energies, without incurring UV-induced damage. The most recent research associated with such materials, particularly the host crystal, lithium yttrium fluoride, LiYF4 (YLF) is reviewed.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6063668
• Report Number(s): AD-A-162712/4/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
LASER MATERIALS
SOLID STATE LASERS
SPECTRA
YTTRIUM FLUORIDES
CATIONS
EMISSION SPECTRA
FLUORIDES
IONS
OPTICAL PUMPING
PHOTONS
STABILITY
STOICHIOMETRY
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
LASERS
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
LITHIUM HALIDES
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATERIALS
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
YTTRIUM COMPOUNDS
420300* - Engineering- Lasers- (-1989)