P. Santacruz et al., NEW LANTHANIDE-DOPED FLUORIDE-BASED VITREOUS MATERIALS FOR LASER APPLICATIONS, Journal of non-crystalline solids, 190(3), 1995, pp. 238-243
By careful control of the immediate environment of rare-earth (RE) ion
s as verified by site-selective photoluminescence, extended X-ray abso
rption fine structure and transmission electron microscopy (image, mic
rodiffraction and microanalysis), a new class of laser material has be
en devised: the composition of starting materials-and the thermal anne
aling conditions have been carefully controlled in such a way that the
local crystal field of the RE ion is the same as in a polycrystalline
powder. This allows a vitreous material with a much reduced inhomogen
eous linewidth to be obtained. Because of this reduction, enlarged las
er cross-sections have been obtained with ratios ranging from 1.3 to 1
.5 with respect to ZrF based glasses.