Photo-thermo-refractive glass co-doped with Nd3+ as a new laser medium

Photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass demonstrates refractive index change after exposure to UV radiation followed by a thermal treatment that enables recording of high efficiency holographic optical elements. This work demonstrates feasibility of function of this material as a complex optical medium which posseses both photosensitive and luminescent properties and paves a way for creation of monolythic solid state lasers where resonator components can be holographically recorded inside of a laser medium. It was found, that incorporating of Nd3+ ions in PTR glass does not affect photosensitivity required for hologram recording. It was demonstrated that emission wavelength, spectral width, and cross section of Nd3+ luminescence in PTR glass are typical for silicate laser glasses and Nd-doped PTR glass can be considered as a promising laser medium for monolithic solid state lasers. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.