Title :
Upconversion versus Pr-deactivation for efficient 3 μm laser operation in Er
Author :
Knowles, David S. ; Jenssen, Hans P.
Author_Institution :
Centre for Lasers & Appl., Macquarie Univ., NSW, Australia
fDate :
4/1/1992 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Erbium-doped BaY2F8 is evaluated as a potential material for a laser diode pumped 3-μm laser. It is shown that the metastable Er4I13/2 level is efficiently quenched by the addition of a small amount of Pr, while still leaving the 4I11/2 lifetime fairly long. Measurement of the 4I11/2 and 4I13/2 lifetimes in Er, Pr:BaY2F8 for 1-100% Er with 0.1-1% Pr show that the 4I13/2 lifetime can be up to 10 times shorter than 4I11/2. To compare this with upconversion type operation of this laser, the authors measured the upconversion coefficients α for 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100% Er:BaY2F8 and compared these to previous measurements for LiYF4. These show a similar concentration dependence in both hosts, although BaY2F8 appears to have a slightly higher ratio of α13/2 to α11/2. Laser performance under argon and diode pumping are presented to compare upconversion operation in BaY2F8 and LiYF4, and quasi-4-level operation in Er, Pr:LiYF4 laser
Keywords :
barium compounds; erbium; optical frequency conversion; optical pumping; praseodymium; radiation quenching; radiative lifetimes; solid lasers; yttrium compounds; 4I11/2 lifetime; BaY2F8:Er,Pr; Er, Pr:LiYF4 laser; IR sources; LiYF4; Pr-deactivation; concentration dependence; diode laser pumping; laser operation; metastable Er4I13/2 level; optical frequency conversion; quasi-4-level operation; quenched; upconversion coefficients; upconversion type operation; Crystalline materials; Diodes; Erbium; Laser excitation; Laser theory; Laser transitions; Materials science and technology; Optical materials; Pump lasers; Q measurement;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
