Ultraviolet laser emission properties of Ce(sup 3+)-doped LiSrAlF6

摘要

The ultraviolet laser properties of Ce(sup 3+)-doped LiSrAlF(sub 6) (Ce:LiSAF) and LiCaAlF(sub 6) (Ce:LiCAF) are reported. The polarized absorption, emission and excited state absorption cross sections for both Ce:LiSAF and Ce:LiCAF were determined for the 266 nm pump and 290 nm laser emission wavelengths. The gain was found to be highest when the probe was polarized parallel to the optic axis of the crystal due to the anisotropic nature of the excited state absorption. The excited state absorption is ascribed to a transition from the 5d orbital of Ce(sup 3+) to the conduction band of the host. Laser slope efficiencies of up to 29% and 21% were measured for Ce-LiSAP and Ce:LiCAF when the 266 nm pulsed pump beam was polarized parallel to the optic axis. These are the highest laser slope efficiencies yet observed for any known solid-state ultraviolet laser material.