SPECTROSCOPY AND LASER PERFORMANCE OF ND DOPED GADOLINIUM LITHIUM-FLUORIDE

A comprehensive investigation on the spectroscopic Properties and lase r performance of Nd3+ doped GdLiF4 (GLF), a new laser crystal, is repo rted. Our high resolution absorption and emission spectra for GLF are nearly identical to those of Nd:LiYF4 (YLF), a well known laser crysta l, strongly suggesting that the two crystals are isostructural. The la ser performance of Nd:GLF is very similar to that of Nd:YLF. A maximum laser-pump-laser slope efficiency of 68% and 67% was obtained for low (1.0 at. %) and high (4.0 at. %) Nd concentration GLF respectively. C oncentration quenching of the fluorescence decay time was observed and appears to be due to the dipole-dipole interaction between the isolat ed Nd3+ ions and Nd3+ ion pairs.