Evaluation of Nd3+-doped BiB3O6 (BIBO) as a new potential self-frequency conversion laser crystal

We present at room temperature emission and absorption spectra of new-synthesised Nd3+-doped BiB3O6 (BIBO) in X-, Y-, Z-polarisations. The measured Nd3+ concentration in the crystal remains low (1.08 x 10(19) ions/cm(3)) and prevents up to now laser oscillation, The Judd-Ofelt analysis was performed with the results: Omega(2X) = 0 cm(2), Omega(4X) = 0.556 x 10(-20) cm(2), Omega(6X) = 0.227 x 10(-20) cm(2), Omega(2Y) = 0 cm(2), Omega(4Y) = 0.307 x 10(-20) cm(2), Omega(6Y) = 0.177 x 10-(20) cm(2), Q(2Z) = 0.069 x 10(-20) cm(2), Omega(4Z) = 0.433 x 10(-20) cm(2), Omega(6Z) = 0.117 x 10(-20) cm(2). The highest emission cross-section near 1079 nm is 2.2 x 10(-20) cm(2), The F-4(3/2) emission lifetime is 53 Its. Low temperature spectroscopy reveals that there is only one kind on Nd3+ emitting Centre which substitutes Bi3+ cations. We evaluate the ability of the material to be a self-frequency conversion laser crystal by calculating the phase matching directions, the effective nonlinear optical coefficients and the effective emission cross-sections for self-frequency doubling, self-sum and difference frequency mixing, We have found that the emission peak at 1069 nm existing mainly for Y-polarisation was the most favourable with directions of propagations in the YZ-plane (phi = 90degrees) for self-sum frequency mixing and in the XZ-plane (phi = 0degrees) for the self-difference frequency mixing. For these directions the effective nonlinear optical coefficient (up to 3.2 pm/V) and the effective emission cross-section have simultaneously the highest values. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.