Spectroscopic analysis of Nd:BGSO crystal grown by the micro-pulling-down method.

A Nd:BGSO crystal with the dimensions of Φ2 × 131 mm3 has been grown successfully by the micro-pulling-down method. The peak absorption cross-section at 808 nm was calculated to 0.98 × 10−20 cm2 with full-width at half-maximum of 17.4 nm. The stimulated emission cross-section was obtained to be 3.15 × 10−20 cm2 at 1063 nm. The fluorescence and radiative lifetimes of 4F 3/2 level were 248 μs and 300 μs respectively. All results indicate that the Nd: BGSO single crystal would be a promising near-IR solid-state laser material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]