Neodymium doping in UV-IR transparent ferroelectric BaMgF 4

The incorporation of Nd 3 + in the ferroelectric fluoride BaMgF 4 crystal is investigated for its potential application as self-frequency-converter solid state laser. Low temperature high-resolution optical spectroscopy shows that Nd 3 + is located at two well distinguished sites referred as A and B. The whole set of energy levels in the excited F 4 3 / 2 , I 4 11 / 2 , and ground I 4 9 / 2 states are identified for both Nd 3 + sites and their crystallographic location in BaMgF 4 lattice is discussed. The radiative lifetime of the F 4 3 / 2 metastable laser level is obtained to be 1430 and 800 μ s for site A and B, respectively, and the luminescence quantum efficiency of the F 4 3 / 2 metastable state for the dominant A site is 87%. The possibility of annihilating the contribution of the B site in the optical spectrum is demonstrated by means of the incorporation Na + into the crystal.