ND-3+ ACTIVE-SITES IN NDMGOLINBO3 LASERS

The fluorescence (excitation and emission) spectra of Nd3+ in Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 have been systematically investigated in order to identify the Nd3+ sites responsible for the two, pi (1.085-mu-m) and sigma, (1.093-mu-m), infrared laser lines. Experimental results reveal that Nd3+ ions entering both Li+ and Nb5+ lattice sites are responsible for the pi-emission line (1.085-mu-m), whereas Nd3+ ions perturbed by close Mg2+ ions, called Nd-Mg sites, are the sites producing the sigma-emission line (1.093-mu-m).