Long (111)-oriented Y3Al5O12:Nd3+ single crystal fibers grown by modified micro-pulling down technology for optical characterization and laser generation

• Published in: Optical materials 2007-09, Vol.30 (1), p.82-84
• Main Authors: Lebbou, K., Brenier, A., Tillement, O., Didierjean, J., Balembois, F., Georges, P., Perrodin, D., Fourmigue, J.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beam characteristics: profile, intensity, and power; spatial pattern formation; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Crystals; Doped-insulator lasers and other solid state lasers; Exact sciences and technology; Fibers; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Laser optical systems: design and operation; Lasers; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Optics; Physics; Q-switching; YAG:Nd3
• ISSN: 0925-3467; 1873-1252
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2006.11.025

Long (111)-oriented 0.2at% Nd3+ doped Y3Al5O12 (YAG:Nd) single crystal fibers were grown by modified pulling down technology. The crystal fibers with uniform diameter ranging from 0.5mm to 1.5mm and about 970mm long were obtained under optimal stationary stable growth conditions. The characterization of their optical properties (propagation and transmission) shows that the fibers were optically powerful with optical performance similar to rods cut from bulk single crystal grown by the conventional Czochralski technique. In a diode pumped configuration, we obtained a cw power of 10W at 1064nm, with a M2 quality factor of 5, for an incident pump power of 60W at 808nm. In Q-switched regime, 12ns pulses with an energy of 4.4mJ at 1kHz have been produced.