Spectroscopic investigation of Yb,Ho,Pr:YAG as a 3 µm laser source

Ronald W. Stites; Thomas R. Harris

doi:10.1117/12.2209625

16 March 2016 Spectroscopic investigation of Yb,Ho,Pr:YAG as a 3 μm laser source

Ronald W. Stites, Thomas R. Harris

Proceedings Volume 9726, Solid State Lasers XXV: Technology and Devices; 97261O (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2209625
Event: SPIE LASE, 2016, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

In addition to the well-established ⁵I₇ to ⁵I₈ transition at 2.09 μm in holmium doped laser materials, there also exists a less energetic transition from the ⁵I₆ level to ⁵I₇ at 2.95 μm. As there has been a recent increase in interest and applications for 3.0 μm light, this material stands to be a viable alternative to other rare earth doped laser systems. Unfortunately, the wavelength required to directly pump the ⁵I₆ level at 1.13 μm is not convenient for commercial laser diodes. Furthermore, the emission lifetime of the ⁵I₇ state is longer than the ⁵I₆ level, leading to a suppression of lasing due to “bottlenecking” in the material. To overcome these effects, we investigated the activation and deactivation of holmium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) using ytterbium and praseodymium respectively. By including ytterbium ions in the host material, readily available 914 nm diode light can be used to resonantly excite the ⁵I₆ level in holmium. Similarly, the presence of praseodymium resonantly de-excites the ⁵I₇ state, reducing its lifetime, and making the material more suitable for lasing. Here, we report the absorption and photoluminescence spectra of this triply doped Yb,Ho,Pr:YAG crystal. In addition, the emission lifetime for both the 2.09 μm and 2.95 μm transitions are reported and compared to a Yb,Ho:YAG control sample.

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Ronald W. Stites and Thomas R. Harris "Spectroscopic investigation of Yb,Ho,Pr:YAG as a 3 μm laser source", Proc. SPIE 9726, Solid State Lasers XXV: Technology and Devices, 97261O (16 March 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2209625

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