Abstract

There is currently interest in the development of solid state lasers that operate in a wide spectral range from visible to IR by pumping both by flash lamp and laser diodes. The most promising materials for UV, visible, and IR lasers are rare earth-doped double fluoride lithium-yttrium crystals (TR³⁺:LiYF₄ or TR³⁺:YLF). They are characterized by low values of nonlinear refractive index (n₂) and high optical damage resistance. Among TR³⁺: YLF crystals, the considerable interest is in Er³⁺:YLF crystals that exhibit certain desirable properties such as a wide range of dopant ion concentrations together with material availability in large apertures of excellent optical quality. A Er³⁺:YLF laser emission is available in the IR and visible spectral ranges at a number of transitions by flash lamp and laser diode pumping, including up-conversion IR pumping.

© 1994 IEEE