OPTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BALAALO4-ND

Crystals of BaLaAlO4 and BaLaAlO4:Nd were obtained by the Czochralski method from a stoichiometric melt. X-ray studies indicated that the cr ystal lattice is orthorhombic and ordered, whereas the bandwidths of s pectral lines corresponding to transitions between individual crystal field levels of Nd3+ were as large as those encountered in disordered structures. Examination with an electron microscope revealed that the material is composed of crystalline phase consistent with the X-ray da ta and a fully amorphous phase. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.