Optical and structural properties of Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 crystal irradiated by 2.8-MeV He ions

We report the optical and structural properties of helium-implanted optical waveguides in Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 laser crystals. The prism-coupling method is used to investigate the dark-mode properties at the wavelength of 632.8 nm. The spontaneous generation of ultraviolet, blue, red, and near-infrared fluorescence emissions is demonstrated under excitation with an 808-nm laser diode. The effects of ion irradiation on the structural properties are characterized using the high-resolution X-ray diffraction technique. The results show that the initial luminescence properties of Nd: MgO: LiNbO3 crystals are slightly modified by irradiation with 2.8 MeV He ions at fluences of 1.5 x 10(16) ions/cm(2) at room temperature.