Crystal growth and spectroscopic characterization of (formula presented)-doped (formula presented) single crystals

Abstract

In this paper we present the crystal growth and optical characterization of thulium-doped (formula presented) (hereafter KYbW). We grew thulium-doped KYbW monoclinic single crystals with optimal crystalline quality by the top-seeded-solution-growth (TSSG) slow-cooling method. Thulium spectroscopy was characterized in this host. The Judd-Ofelt parameters determined were (formula presented) (formula presented) and (formula presented) The room temperature lifetimes measured for KYbW: Tm 1% were (formula presented) (formula presented) and (formula presented) We calculated the emission cross section for several channels. There was an important blue emission after pumping resonantly to the stoichiometric ytterbium at 980 nm, and we studied the emission channels of thulium. The presence of thulium luminescence is proof of the large transfer of energy in this compound. © 2002 The American Physical Society.