Spectroscopic properties of Nd3+:Lu3ScAl4O12 single crystal

Nd:Lu3ScAl4O12 single crystal has been grown by the Czochralski method. The segregation coefficient of Nd3+ ions in LuSAG crystal is 0.22. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) experiments show that the Nd:LuSAG crystal crystallizes in cubic structure with space group Ia3d and its cell parameters are a = 1.1953 nm. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of Nd:LuSAG crystal were investigated at room temperature. The spectral parameters were calculated based on Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory, and the intensity parameters Ω2, Ω4 and Ω6 were obtained to be 0.14, 3.38, and 4.88 × 10−20 cm2, respectively. The calculated spontaneous radiative probabilities, branching ratios, radiative lifetime and quantum efficiency have been evaluated for the 4F3/2 excited state using the calculated intensity parameters. The results indicate that this crystal can be considered as a promising material for solid-state laser application. (paper)