Spectral properties of laser planar waveguides based on fluoride ceramics and crystalline solid solutions

The spectral characteristics of the fluorine planar waveguides of the type of Me ₁ F ₂–Me ₂ F ₃ created by the hot-forming method with the refractive index difference between the active medium (core) and the reflective shell no more than 10⁻²–10^-4 are investigated. A planar waveguide with a core of mixed neodymium fluorite crystals CaF₂–NdF₃: Nd³⁺ with a double reflecting cladding of LiF to increase the excitation efficiency of the waveguide has shown that fluoride-based laser materials have a number of significant advantages in comparison with oxide materials, especially when creating wide-range amplifiers. With powerful lateral pumping of waveguides by matrices of laser diodes with a wavelength near 0.8 μm and a power more than 1 kW, luminescence was observed both at the same wavelength and at two wavelengths simultaneously (near 0.9 and 1.05 μm), which makes it possible to control their spectroscopic properties. (paper)