Spectroscopic properties of Ho3+ doped Sc2O3 transparent ceramic for laser materials

Systematic high resolution spectral investigations of trivalent holmium doped in Sc(2)O(3) polycrystalline transparent ceramic were performed. The spectral characteristics (Stark energy levels, absorption, and emission cross sections) as well as the Judd-Ofelt (JO) intensity parameters Omega(t) (t=2,4,6) for the f-f transitions of the C(2)-symmetry center of Ho(3+) in Sc2O3 transparent ceramics were determined. The JO intensity parameters are used to estimate the emission probabilities, radiative lifetimes, and branching ratios of the different Ho3+ transitions. The emission gain cross section for the (5)I(7) -> (5)I(8) and (5)I(6) -> (5)I(8) transitions of special interest for laser application were determined. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3153949]