Crystal growth and properties characterization of Nd3+:Na5Lu(MoO4)4 for continuous multi-wavelength NIR laser emission

A new Nd3+ ions-doped NIR laser crystal of Na5Lu(MoO4)(4) was grown in a 4Na(2)O-5MoO(3) flux through the top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) technique. Thermal analysis indicated that Na5Lu(MoO4)(4) melted incongruently and decomposed at 690 degrees C into NaLu(MoO4)(2) and Na2MoO4. The photoluminescence measurements for different Nd3+ dopant concentrations showed that Na5Lu(MoO4)(4) can achieve high activator doping, and the saturation concentration for Nd3+ ions can reach 10% without an obvious quenching effect. In addition, the optical absorption spectra for the 1.48% Nd3+:Na5Lu(MoO4)(4) single crystal were measured, from which the absorption parameters of omega(2) = 5.288 x 10(-20) cm(2), omega(4) = 3.802 x 10(-20) cm(2), and omega(6) = 5.206 x 10(-20) cm(2) were calculated by the Judd-Ofelt theory. Furthermore, a continuous multi-wavelength NIR laser emission with a 60 mW laser power around 1059 nm and 1065 nm multi-bands and slope efficiency of 6.2% output was achieved in the Nd3+:Na5Lu(MoO4)(4) crystal for the first time, showing promising applications as a new kind of laser diode (LD) pumped ultrashort pulse solid-state laser.

Automated summary

A new Nd3+ ions-doped NIR laser crystal of Na5Lu(MoO4)4 was successfully grown in a 4Na2O-5MoO3 flux through the TSSG technique, exhibiting high activator doping capabilities. Through optical absorption spectrum and photoluminescence measurements, the potential applications of this crystal in infrared laser technology were demonstrated.