Growth of Nd3+ doped LiNbO3 crystals using Bridgman method and its spectral properties

The growth of Nd3+ doped lithium niobate crystals using Bridgman method has been reported in this paper. By means of the optimum conditions such as proper feed materials, sealed platinum crucibles, growth rate of 1-1.5 mm/h and temperature gradient of 30-35 degrees C/cm across the solid-liquid interface under the furnace temperature of 1300 degrees C, single crystals containing Nd3+ ion with 0.54 mol% concentration were obtained. X-ray diffraction and ICP-AES were used to characterize the crystals and its composition. The absorption, emission and fluorescence lifetime are also measured. Based on the Judd-Ofelt theory, we obtained the optical parameters of the crystal such as the luminescent quantum efficiency, the radioactive lifetimes, the branching ratios and the emission cross-section.