Distribution of Neodymium and properties of Nd:YAG crystal by horizontal directional solidification

摘要

Nd~(3+)-doped Y_3Al_5O_(12) single crystal has been grown by the horizontal directional solidification (HDS) method. The crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis, and the relatively small FWHM of the [111] symmetric rocking curve demonstrated the good crystallinity of the crystal. The distribution of Nd~(3+) ions was studied by the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) method and the segregation coefficient was 0.234. The Nd~(3+)ions distribution along the [ 111 ] growth axis well agreed with the general distribution equation: C_s = C_mK_0(l -g)~(K_0~(-1), and the concentration of Nd~(3+) ions along the thickness and width direction (perpendicular to [111] growth axis) was near unity. The absorption and emission spectroscopy results indicated that the crystal had excellent laser optical quality for InGaAs diode-laser pumping.