Abstract

Photon gated spectral hole-burning was first observed in a samarium doped crystal, BaFCl:Sm²⁺ [1]. This material was of interest to the developement of optical memories as the holes were found to be stable to room temperature thermal cycling. Holes could be burnt at liquid helium temperatures but as the temperature was raised the line quickly became homogeneously broadened. The addition of bromine to the melt succeeded in broadening the inhomogeneous linewidths to about 2 nm through substitutional disorder [2] and persistent holes were observed at 77 K [3]. Subsequently, a study of the parameters for spectral hole-burning in a BaFCl_0.5Br_0.5:Sm²⁺ crystalline powder was performed [4] and the highest temperature for which persistent hole-burning had been observed was raised to 133 K. Here we report spectral hole-burning at room temperature (figure 1) in a related compound, Sr_0.5Mg_0.5FCl_0.5Br_0.5:Sm²⁺.

© 1991 Optical Society of America