Growth and characterization of the new laser crystal Nd:LuVO4

The growth, thermal properties, Mohs hardness, density and laser properties of a new laser crystal Nd:LuVO4 are reported. Nd:LuVO4 crystal belongs to tetragonal system and its cell parameter was calculated: a = 7.0275, c = 6.2507 Angstrom. The measured thermal expansion coefficient are alpha(a) = 1.7 x 10(-6), alpha(b) =1.5 x 10(-6), alpha(c) = 9.1 x 10(-6)/K from 50 to 300 degreesC along its crystallographic axes respectively. The measured specific heat value is 0.45 J g(-1) K-1 at 330 K. The highest output power at 1.064 mum is 530 mW at the pumping power of 2.76 W of a laser diode (LD), slope efficiency is 23.1%, and the optical-optical conversion efficiency is 19.3%. The theoretical density of LuVO4 and measured density of Nd:LuVO4 are 6.260 and 6.233 g/cm(3), respectively. And its Mohs hardness is measured to be approximately 6. All these properties show Nd:LuVO4 is crystal can be used for efficient LD pump lasers system. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.