Synthesis and evaluation of ultra-pure rare-earth-doped glass for laser refrigeration

Wendy M. Patterson; Markus P. Hehlen; Mansoor Sheik-Bahae; Richard I. Epstein

doi:10.1117/12.811914

12 February 2009 Synthesis and evaluation of ultra-pure rare-earth-doped glass for laser refrigeration

Wendy M. Patterson, Markus P. Hehlen, Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, Richard I. Epstein

Proceedings Volume 7228, Laser Refrigeration of Solids II; 72280C (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.811914
Event: SPIE OPTO: Integrated Optoelectronic Devices, 2009, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in synthesizing and characterizing ultra-pure, rare-earth-doped ZIBLAN (ZrF₄-InF₃- BaF₂-LaF₃-AlF₃-NaF) glass capable of laser refrigeration. Yb³⁺-doped ZIBLAN glass was produced from fluoride precursors which were individually purified by solvent extraction and subsequently treated with hydrofluoric gas at elevated temperatures to remove oxygen impurities. We have developed two-band differential luminescence thermometry (TBDLT) as a new non-invasive, spectroscopic technique to evaluate the intrinsic quality of Yb³⁺ doped laser-cooling samples. TBDLT measures changes in the local temperature upon laser excitation via the small changes in the ²F_5/2→²F_7/2 fluorescence spectrum. Two commercial band pass filters in combination with a balanced dual InGaAs photodetector are used to select and integrate regions of interest in the fluorescence spectrum with sub-millisecond resolution. The TBDLT technique successfully finds the zero-crossing temperature (ZCT), which is the minimum temperature to which a Yb³⁺ doped sample can cool, independent of surface heating. ZCT is a useful measure for the presence of impurities and the overall quality of the laser-cooling material. Favorable laser cooling results were obtained for several 1% Yb³⁺-doped glasses with varying degrees of purity.

Citation Download Citation

Wendy M. Patterson, Markus P. Hehlen, Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, and Richard I. Epstein "Synthesis and evaluation of ultra-pure rare-earth-doped glass for laser refrigeration", Proc. SPIE 7228, Laser Refrigeration of Solids II, 72280C (12 February 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.811914

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available