Growth and Characterization of Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Scandate Crystal Fiber with a Bixbyite-type Crystal Structure

A crystal fiber of yttrium scandate YScO3 doped with Nd3+, with a cubic bixbyite-type crystal structure, has been synthesized through laser-heated pedestal growth for the first time. Its crystal structure has been determined using low-temperature (150 K) single-crystal X-ray diffraction: space group Ia (3) over bar, a = 10.2166(1) angstrom, R = 0.0177. A new phase was characterized with micro-Raman scattering and fluorescence. Fluorescence excitation measurements show two complex local positions of Nd3+ in the crystal structure with lifetimes tau(1) = 290 and tau(2) = 250 mu s (F-4(3/2) multifold) at a temperature T = 77 K.