Neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate

Last updated June 28, 2019

Neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO₄) is a crystalline material formed by adding neodymium ions to yttrium orthovanadate. It is commonly used as an active laser medium for diode-pumped solid-state lasers. It comes as a transparent blue-tinted material. It is birefringent, therefore rods made of it are usually rectangular.

Crystal solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an ordered pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macroscopic single crystals are usually identifiable by their geometrical shape, consisting of flat faces with specific, characteristic orientations. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called crystallization or solidification.

Neodymium Chemical element with atomic number 60

Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. Neodymium belongs to the lanthanide series and is a rare-earth element. It is a hard, slightly malleable silvery metal, that quickly tarnishes in air and moisture. When oxidized, neodymium reacts quickly to produce pink, purple/blue and yellow compounds in the +2, +3 and +4 oxidation state. Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by the Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. It is present in significant quantities in the ore minerals monazite and bastnäsite. Neodymium is not found naturally in metallic form or unmixed with other lanthanides, and it is usually refined for general use. Although neodymium is classed as a rare-earth element, it is fairly common, no rarer than cobalt, nickel, or copper, and is widely distributed in the Earth's crust. Most of the world's commercial neodymium is mined in China.

Yttrium orthovanadate (YVO₄) is a transparent crystal. Undoped YVO₄ is also used to make efficient high-power polarizing prisms similar to Glan–Taylor prisms.

As in all neodymium-doped laser crystals, the lasing action of Nd:YVO₄ is due to its content of neodymium ions, which may be excited by visible or infrared light, and undergo an electronic transition resulting in emission of coherent infrared light at a lower frequency, usually at 1064 nm (other transitions in Nd are available, and can be selected for by external optics).

Basic properties

Atomic density: ~1.37×10²⁰ atoms/cm³
Crystal structure:
- zircon tetragonal (tetragonal bipyramidal)
- space group D_4h
- a=b=7.12, c=6.29
In crystallography, the tetragonal crystal system is one of the 7 crystal systems. Tetragonal crystal lattices result from stretching a cubic lattice along one of its lattice vectors, so that the cube becomes a rectangular prism with a square base and height.
Density: 4.22 g/cm³
Mohs hardness: Glass-like, ~5
Thermal expansion coefficient:
- α_a=4.43×10⁻⁶/K
- α_c=11.37×10⁻⁶/K
Thermal conductivity:
- parallel to C-axis: 5.23 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹
- perpendicular to C-axis: 5.10 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹
The watt is a unit of power. In the International System of Units (SI) it is defined as a derived unit of 1 joule per second, and is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. In dimensional analysis, power is described by $.$

An atom is the smallest constituent unit of ordinary matter that has the properties of a chemical element. Every solid, liquid, gas, and plasma is composed of neutral or ionized atoms. Atoms are extremely small; typical sizes are around 100 picometers.

In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of the ordered arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from the intrinsic nature of the constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat along the principal directions of three-dimensional space in matter.

Zircon Zirconium silicate, a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates

Zircon ( or ) is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO₄. A common empirical formula showing some of the range of substitution in zircon is (Zr_1–y, REE_y)(SiO₄)_1–x(OH)_4x–y. Zircon forms in silicate melts with large proportions of high field strength incompatible elements. For example, hafnium is almost always present in quantities ranging from 1 to 4%. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal system. The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue and green. Colorless specimens that show gem quality are a popular substitute for diamond and are also known as "Matura diamond".

Optical properties

Lasing wavelengths: 914 nm, 1064 nm, 1342 nm
Crystal class: positive uniaxial, n_o=n_a=n_b, n_e=n_c,
- n_o=1.9573, n_e=2.1652, at 1064 nm
- n_o=1.9721, n_e=2.1858, at 808 nm
- n_o=2.0210, n_e=2.2560, at 532 nm
Fluorescence lifetime (spontaneous emission lifetime) as a function of Nd ions concentration:

In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is thus the inverse of the spatial frequency. Wavelength is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings and is a characteristic of both traveling waves and standing waves, as well as other spatial wave patterns. Wavelength is commonly designated by the Greek letter lambda (λ). The term wavelength is also sometimes applied to modulated waves, and to the sinusoidal envelopes of modulated waves or waves formed by interference of several sinusoids.

Spontaneous emission is the process in which a quantum mechanical system transitions from an excited energy state to a lower energy state and emits a quantised amount of energy in the form of a photon. Spontaneous emission is ultimately responsible for most of the light we see all around us; it is so ubiquitous that there are many names given to what is essentially the same process. If atoms are excited by some means other than heating, the spontaneous emission is called luminescence. For example, fireflies are luminescent. And there are different forms of luminescence depending on how excited atoms are produced. If the excitation is affected by the absorption of radiation the spontaneous emission is called fluorescence. Sometimes molecules have a metastable level and continue to fluoresce long after the exciting radiation is turned off; this is called phosphorescence. Figurines that glow in the dark are phosphorescent. Lasers start via spontaneous emission, then during continuous operation work by stimulated emission.

Nd concentration (atom %)	Fluorescence lifetime (μs)@ 1064 nm	Reference
0.4	110	J. Appl. Phys. 49, 5517-5522 (1978).
1.0	100	Castech web site
1.1	90	Casix web site
2.0	50	Casix web site

Absorption cross-section at 808 nm: 5.5×10⁻²⁰ cm²
Emission cross-section at 1064 nm: 30×10⁻¹⁹ cm² (Reference: JOSA66, 1405-1414 (1976).)
Polarized laser emission: π-polarization; parallel to optic axis (c-axis) (for a-cut crystal)
Gain bandwidth: 0.96 nm (257 GHz) at 1064 nm (for 1.1 atm% Nd doped)
Absorption coefficients at 808 nm for different doping conenctrations:

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References

H. E. Rast; H. H. Caspers & S. A. Miller (1968). "Infrared Spectral Emittance and Optical Properties of Yttrium Vanadate" (abstract). Phys. Rev. 169 (3): 705–709. Bibcode:1968PhRv..169..705R. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.169.705.
O. Guillot-Noel; B. Bellamy; B. Viana; D. Gourier (1999). "Correlation between rare-earth oscillator strengths and rare-earth–valence-band interactions in neodymium-doped YMO4 (M=V, P, As), Y3Al5O12, and LiYF4 matrices" (abstract). Phys. Rev. B. 60 (3): 1668–1677. Bibcode:1999PhRvB..60.1668G. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.60.1668.

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Neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate

Contents

Basic properties

Optical properties

See also

Related Research Articles

References