Microwave-assisted preparation of uniform pure and dye-loaded AlPO4-5 crystals with different morphologies for use as microlaser systems

The study of the influence of the crystal morphology of laser dye-loaded Al PO4-5 molecular sieve on the previously reported laser properties, i.e., la ser threshold power density, modes of laser emission and lightfastness, req uires synthesis procedures resulting in single crystals of varied length-pe r-width ratios. The suppression of undesired side-phases (AlPO4-8, VPI-5), as well as the temperature-time field, for the production of pure Rhodamine BE50-loaded crystals with desired uniform morphology by the microwave-heat ed crystallization method are evaluated and discussed. Uniform plate-like c rystals with a thickness of less than 4 mum, for which favorable laser prop erties can be expected, are obtained only in a small temperature window 150 +/- 5 degreesC with reaction times of about 10 minutes.