SOLID-STATE LASER MATERIALS - FROM BASIC PRINCIPLES TO THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Solid state laser materials: from basic principles to the latest developments. This paper presents some aspects of the research performed on solid state laser materials during the past fifteen years. After having recalled the basic principles of laser operation, we discuss briefly semiconductor lasers. A significant part of this article is devoted to lasers based on ionic matrices which may be activated either by lanthanide ions (the case of Pr3+) or by transition metal ions (for tunable lasers). Finally, we consider the various kinds of up conversion lasers, taking Tm3+ ions as an example of activator ion.