Resonantly pumped room temperature Ho:LuVO₄ laser

Area of Science:

• Solid-state laser physics
• Crystal growth and characterization
• Laser spectroscopy

Background:

• Holmium-doped lasers are crucial for generating 2-micron wavelength radiation.
• Lutetium vanadate (LuVO4) is a promising host material for rare-earth doping due to its favorable optical properties.
• Efficient room-temperature operation of Ho:LuVO4 lasers is desirable for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the spectroscopic properties of a Czochralski-grown Ho:LuVO4 crystal.
• To demonstrate and optimize a room-temperature Ho:LuVO4 laser.
• To investigate the laser performance under resonant pumping conditions.

Main Methods:

• Growing Ho:LuVO4 crystal using the Czochralski method.
• Performing absorption and emission spectroscopy.
• Resonant pumping of the Ho:LuVO4 laser with a Tm:YAP laser at 1.94 μm.
• Utilizing different output couplers to tune laser performance.

Main Results:

• Spectroscopic characterization confirmed suitability for laser operation.
• A continuous-wave Ho:LuVO4 laser achieved 2.5 W output power at 2074.18 nm.
• Slope efficiency of 17.6% and optical-to-optical efficiency of 12.9% were obtained.
• Laser operation at 2073.77 nm and 2055.27 nm was achieved with different output couplers.

Conclusions:

• Ho:LuVO4 is a viable material for efficient 2-micron room-temperature laser operation.
• Resonant pumping with Tm:YAP lasers is an effective method for exciting Ho:LuVO4.
• The demonstrated laser performance highlights the potential of Ho:LuVO4 for various photonic applications.