Growth and mid-infrared luminescence property of Ho3+ doped CeF3 single crystal

A Ho3+-doped CeF3 crystal was successfully grown for the first time using the Bridgman method, and its spectral properties were studied. By analyzing the absorption and emission measurements of the Ho:CeF3 crystal with the Judd-Ofelt theory, the intensity parameters Omega(2,4,6), emission cross-sections, gain cross-sections, and excited state lifetimes were calculated. It was found that the peak absorption cross-section around 447 nm is 0.4339 x 10(-20) cm(2), which matched to the commercially available blue laser diode lasers. The 2.0 mu m excitation emission of the Ho:CeF3 crystal corresponding to the stimulated emission Ho3+: I-5(7) -> I-5(8) transition has an emission cross section of 0.24 x 10(-20) cm(2) with FWHM of 146 nm.