Electron paramagnetic resonance study of gadolinium in Czochralski-grown yttrium fluoride single crystals

摘要

Single crystals of YF_3 grown by the Czochralski method have been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). In this paper we present an EPR analysis of residual Gd~(3+) impurities. We found that the Gd~(3+) rare-earth ion substitutes for Y~(3+) in YF_3. Detailed analysis of the EPR spectra allowed us to determine the fine structure parameters of Gd~(3+) in monoclinic Cs site symmetry. The EPR angular dependence is dominated by the electronic quadrupole tensor; the g-factor is slightly axial. The b_2~0 parameter found for Gd~(3+) in YF_3 is unexpectedly high when compared to Gd~(3+) in the hosts of LaF_3 structure where the coordination number is the same. The results let us conclude that YF_3 is a promising laser host crystal.