Crystal growth, structure, defect, and spectroscopic properties of the Nd3+-doped Y2.8ScAl4.2O12 single crystal

Abstract A Nd3+-doped Y2.8ScAl4.2O12 (Nd:YSAG) single crystal was grown successfully via the Czochralski technology. The crystal structure and crystalline quality of the as-grown Nd:YSAG crystal were determined by the X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray rocking curve, respectively. By X-ray fluorescence analysis, the effective segregation coefficient of Nd3+ is calculated to be 0.33 in the YSAG crystal. Using the chemical etching method, the dislocation density on the (111)-crystalline face is obtained to be about 3.45 × 102 cm−2. The large absorption cross-section (2.95 × 10−20 cm2) and wide FWHM (9.8 nm) around 808.8 nm imply a high LD pumping efficiency. The high emission cross-section (3.53 × 10−20 cm2) at 1336.3 nm and long fluorescence lifetime of Nd3+ ions (286.20 μs) are beneficial to realize laser output. Thereby, all the results indicate that the Nd:YSAG crystal is a potentially new gain material pumped by a LD for near-infrared laser at 1336.3 nm.