Growth and Spectroscopic Investigations of Disordered Nd3+:Li3Ba2La3(MoO4)8 Crystal

Nd3+: Li3Ba2La3(MoO4)8 crystal has been grown from a flux of Li2MoO4 by the top seeded solution growth method (TSSG) and its structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The polarized absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decay curve of the crystal were measured. The main spectral parameters were calculated by the Judd-Ofelt theory and compared with other Nd-doped crystals. The broad absorption bands and the large absorption cross sections around 805 nm indicate that the crystal is very suitable for diode-laser pumping. The broad emission bands around 1060 nm show that the crystal is a potential medium for tunable and short pulse lasers. The quantum efficiency of the crystal is up to 95%, which is higher than the value for Nd3+:YVO4 and Nd3+:YAG and comparable to that of other disordered molybdate crystals. The excellent spectroscopic properties show that Nd3+:Li3Ba2La3(MoO4)8 crystal may be regarded as a potential solid state laser host material for diode laser pumping.