Growth and characteristics of neodymium doped bismuth silicate crystals

The melting temperatures, the lattice parameters and the optical properties of Nd doped Bi12SiO20 have been studied for the diode pumped laser applications. The lattice parameters and the melting temperatures decrease from 10.1055 to 10.1035 Å and from 900 to 890 °C with Nd2O3 concentration from 0 to 5 mol%. The crystals grown by Czochralski technique are transparent up to λ = 500 nm. The width of the optical absorption peak due to Nd3+ ion (λ = 815 nm) is broader than that of Nd doped Y3Al5O12. Segregation coefficient of Nd is estimated to be about k = 0.17. The solubility limit of Nd2O3 into Bi12SiO20 is also suggested to be about 5 mol%.