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LASER SYSTEMS AND MATERIALS
Er:Y2O3 optical ceramics as a gain medium for in-band pumped 1.6 pm
lasers: synthesis and spectroscopic properties
K.N. Gorbachenya1, A.S. Yasukevich1, V.E. Kisel1, A.I. Lazarchuk1, A.A. Tarachenko1, K.V. Lopuhin2, V.V. Balashov2, A.V. Fedin3, M.N. Gerke3, E.A. Volkova4, V.O. Yapaskurt4, N.N. Kuzmin456, D.A. Ksenofontov4,
D.V. Korost4, N.V. Kuleshov1
1- Center for optical materials and technologies, Belarusian National Technical University, Belarus, Minsk,
Nezalezhnasti ave., 65;
2- Fryazino branch of the Institution of Science V.A. Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics Russian Academy of Sciences, Vvedenskogo ave. 1, Fryazino, Russia; 3- Vladimir State University named after Alexander and Nikolay Stoletov; Gorky str. 87, Vladimir, Russia; 4- Department of Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; 5- Institute of Spectroscopy, RAS, 108840, Fizicheskaya Str. 5 Troitsk, Moscow, Russia; kolyanfclm@gmail.com 6- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
nkuleshov@bntu.by
In-band pumping at near 1.5 pm (direct excitation of the Er3+ ions to the upper laser energy level 4I13/2) is a promising means of developing erbium lasers emitting at neat 1.6 pm. Recenly Er:Re2O3 (Re=Y, Sc, Lu) sesquioxide crystals have been considered as promising gain media for in-band-pumped erbium lasers [1]. However, the growth complexity is a major limitation for the application of sesqui-oxide crystals. One solution is to use optical ceramics based on these crystals. Here we present the details of Er:Y2O3 optical ceramics synthesis and investigation of structural and spectral-luminescent properties.
Er (0.25 mol.%):Y2O3 samples of transparent ceramics with a high optical quality (transmission coefficient more than 99% at 600 nm), diameter > 20 mm, and thickness >3 mm were produced (Figure 1). The microstructure and elemental analysis were performed by the analytical scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. Phase purity and structure were confirmed using XRD method. XRCT scanning demonstrates that synthesized ceramics specimens are characterized by homogeneous microstructure without any associated phases. The absorption and emission cross-section spectra of the Er3+:Y2O3 optical ceramics in the spectral range 1420-1700 nm are presented in Figure 2. The maximal absorption cross-section of 1.28*10-20 cm2 is observed at 1536 nm. The highest magnitude of the stimulated emission cross-section of 1.16*10-20 cm2 is located at 1535 nm. The decay curve of 1.6 pm emission was single exponential and the luminescence decay time of the 4I13/2 level was measured to be 7.5 +/- 0.5 ms. In the frame of the conventional Judd-Ofelt theory the emission properties of the 4I13/2 and 4I11/2 energy levels of Er3+ were calculated. The gain coefficient curves are demonstated in the Figure 3.
Fig. 1. Er3+:Y2O. optical ceramics
Fig. 2. Absorption (1) and emission (2, 3) Fig. 3. Gain spectra for inver-cross-section spectra: 2 — IRM; 3 — FLE. sion parameters P=0.2-0.8
The Er:Y2O3 ceramics with high optical quality was fabricated. The obtained spectroscopic characteristics indicate the promise of the use of Er:Y2O3 optical ceramics as an active medium for eye-safe in-band-pumped lasers
emitting near 1.6 pm.
[1] Merkle, L.D.; Ter-Gabrielyan, N.; Kacik, N.J.; Sanamyan, T.; Zhang, H.; Y, H.; Wang, J.; Dubinskii, M. Er:Lu2O3—laser-
related spectroscopy. Opt. Mater. Express 2013, 3, 1992-2002.
