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Soviet Journal of Quantum Electronics

Cooperative phenomena in yttrium erbium aluminum garnet crystals

V I Zhekov, Vladimir A. Lobachev, T. M. Murina, Alexander M. Prokhorov

Published Jan 31, 1984• 38 citations
Publisher

Abstract

An investigation was made of the kinetics of the luminescence due to 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 transitions in the Er 3+ ion in yttrium erbium aluminum garnet crystals subjected to strong resonant excitation argon laser radiation (λ = 4880 nm). The efficiency of the cooperative process resulting in nonlinear quenching of the luminescence from the 4 I 13/2 level and sensitization of the 4 I 11/2 level was estimated. The influence of this process on the kinetics of lasing as a result of the 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 transition (λ = 2.94 μ) was analyzed.

DOI
10.1070/qe1984v014n01abeh004657

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Journal of Applied Physics•Jun 15, 1998•15 citations
An investigation was made of the kinetics of the luminescence due to 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 transitions in the Er 3+ ion in yttrium erbium aluminum garnet crystals subjected to strong resonant excitation argon laser radiation (λ = 4880 nm). The efficiency of the cooperative process resulting in nonlinear quenching of the luminescence from the 4 I 13/2 level and sensitization of the 4 I 11/2 level was estimated. The influence of this process on the kinetics of lasing as a result of the 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 transition (λ = 2.94 μ) was analyzed.
Stimulated emission due to the 4 I 11/2 – 4 I 13/2 transition (λ = 2.936 μ) in yttrium aluminum garnet (Y 3 Al 5 O 12 ) doped with Er 3+ ions (30 wt%) was observed for the first time at 300°K. The output energy from crystals of 50 × 3 mm dimensions was 0.3 J under free-oscillation conditions and 0.05 J in the case of Q switching. The lifetime of the 4 I 11/2 level was determined for crystals with 3–30 wt% Er 3+ . The energy from the higher Er 3+ levels relaxed in a cascade manner through 4 I 11/2 to 4 I 13/2 .
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) crystals doped with Erbium have posed an interesting position in the field of rare earth solid state lasers as they possess the property of self-saturation, in which the upper energy level in a laser has a much shorter lifetime than that of the lower level.The non-linear energy transfer dynamics of Er:YAG are modeled under high resonant pump conditions. Specifically the multi-photon effect known as excited state absorption (ESA) is modeled by measuring the cross section in a single crystal Er:YAG sample utilizing a pump and probe technique. The measured ESA cross section is then included in the rate equation modeling that has typically been ignored such an effect when modeling the non-linear ion to ion interactions. By pumping with selective resonant pumps, the interaction dynamics of the upper and the lower laser levels in the Erbium ion reveal the contributions of the non-linear energy transfer mechanisms towards the populations of the levels respectively. This thesis work shows the added accuracy of the rate equation modeling by its inclusion of the measured ESA cross-section and its effect on the population evolution in the Er:YAG system. The model will be tested with measurements made with select Er:YAG crystals being pumped by combinations of resonant infra-red lasers with a chopper spinning at a rate on the order of magnitude of the lower lasing level lifetime.
Negative nonlinear absorption, which causes the transmission to decrease as the laser intensity increases, was observed in a 16 at. % Er:YAG crystal using a laser diode operating at 787 and 784 nm. This effect for 787 nm was strong because 787 nm was the center of an absorption peak that is related to the excited-state absorption from 4I13/2 to 2H11/2. It is suggested that these phenomena take place because the absorption cross section from 4I13/2 to 2H11/2 is larger than that from 4I15/2 to 4I9/2 using a double-absorption model.
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG, Y_3 〖Al〗_5 O_12) crystals doped with Erbium have posed an interesting position in the field of rare earth solid state lasers as they possess the property of self-saturation, in which the upper energy level in a laser has a much shorter lifetime than that of the lower level. This is the case of the 2.94μm transition in Er:YAG. That property at first seems to make this material unfit for use as a laser gain medium, however further research into these classes of rare earth materials revealed interesting non-liner energy transfer mechanisms that allow it to be a useful mid wave infra-red (MWIR) coherent source in the continuous wave (CW) and pulsed regimes. This came to fruition due to decades of modeling and spectroscopic research investigating the non-linear energy transfer mechanisms of excited state absorption (ESA), energy transfer up-conversion (ETU), and cross relaxation (XR). These effects show up in the rise and fall times of the levels observed through fluorescence. Resulting in the non-exponential rise and fall characteristics and having a squared or even cubed relation to the population. The population evolution for each of the lasing levels is now affected by ions recycling energy and in turn cause the lifetimes of the levels to “effectively” change to a point where simple linear models do not adequately describe the system and its performance. The non-linear energy transfer dynamics of Er:YAG are modeled under high resonant pump conditions. By pumping with selective resonant pumps, the interaction dynamics of the (_ ^4)I_(11/2) and the (_ ^4)I_(13/2) levels in the Erbium ion reveal the contributions from generally ignored non-linear energy transfer mechanisms. Specifically, the multi-photon effect known as excited state absorption (ESA) is modeled by measuring and characterizing the cross section in single crystal Er:YAG samples utilizing a pump and probe technique coupled with transient fluorescence measurements. The measured ESA cross section is then included in the rate equation modeling.
Using a laser diode modulated at 250 and 500 MHz, dependence of enhanced absorption on both sample length and temperature was investigated in an erbium doped yttrium aluminum garnet crystal. The transmitted laser intensity decreased with a decay time of 300 ps for sample lengths greater than 3.0 mm and temperatures higher than 50 K when the incident laser intensity increased. In addition, an emission peak was observed near 835 nm corresponding to the transition from the S3/24 level to the I13/24 in Er3+. It was suggested that the enhanced absorption was caused by stimulated emission in three excited states.
Temperature dependence of an enhanced excited state absorption was investigated in erbium-doped garnet crystals using 787.3 and 787.8 nm laser diodes. The enhanced absorption was obtained at temperature ranges of 15–570 K, 15–420 K, and 15–1200 K in a yttrium aluminum garnet, a yttrium scandium gallium garnet, and a lutetium aluminum garnet, respectively. Absorption peaks corresponding to both the I1615/2−I49/2 and the I1613/2−I211/2 transitions of Er3+ in garnets were shifted from those for 300 K at high temperature. The enhanced absorption weakened at high temperature because an absorption cross section from the I413/2 level to the H211/2 level decreased due to the shift of the absorption peaks. It has been confirmed that a mechanism of the enhanced absorption can be explained by calculating the rate equations based on an analytical model for a five-level system of the Er3+ ion. It is suggested that the enhanced absorption weakened at temperatures lower than 12 K because the number of phonons decreased due to low temperature.