Thulium sensitized neodymium for mid-IR laser development

The energy transfer properties between Tm/sup 3+/ and Nd/sup 3+/ in KPb/sub 2/Cl/sub 5/ are explored. The efficiency of the energy transfer from the Tm /sup 3/H/sub 4/ to the Nd/sup 4/I/sub 11/2/was evaluated for sensitization of a new mid-IR laser system.

Summary

The strong multi-phonon quenching of mid-infrared transitions in conventional oxide and fluoride laser hosts means that rare-earth mid-IR lasers are very scarce. The rare earth host KPb₂Cl₅ exhibits reduced quenching because of its relatively low phonon energies, [1]. The infrared emission of Er³⁺doped KPb₂Cl₅ has been exploited to produce efficient lasing at 4.6 [2], [3].