OPTICAL STUDIES OF ND-DOPED BENZIL, A POTENTIAL LUMINESCENT AND LASERMATERIAL

Neodymium-doped benzil crystals have been synthesized and characterize d for their absorption, emission, and kinetics properties. From Judd-O felt analysis, the radiative decay time of Nd emission (peaking at 105 5 nm) is estimated to be equal to 441 mu s. The experimental Nd lifeti me (under Ar+ laser excitation) is equal to 19 mu s. The broad emissio n band centered at approximately 700 nm (tau(decay) approximate to 15 ns) and the Raman scattering with characteristic frequency shift of 16 00 cm(-1) have been observed at excitation of benzil with 532-nm Q-swi tched laser pulses. We show that rare-earth-doped benzil can be consid ered as a potential candidate for luminescent and solid-state laser ma terial. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.