Refractory oxide hosts for a high power, broadly tunable laser with high quantum efficiency and method of making same
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Department of Energy
InventorsYok Chen, Roberto Gonzalez
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Abstract
Refractory oxide crystals having high-quantum efficiency and high thermal stability for use as broadly tunable laser host materials. The crystals are formed by removing hydrogen from a single crystal of the oxide material to a level below about 10.sup.12 protons per cm.sup.3 and subsequently thermochemically reducing the oxygen content of the crystal to form sufficient oxygen anion vacancies so that short-lived F.sup.+ luminescence is produced when the crystal is optically excited.
Claims10
A high power laser host material formed of a refractory oxide crystal characterized by high quantum efficiency and high thermal stability with a substantially complete depletion of hydrogen and containing sufficient oxygen anion vacancies to produce only F.sup.+ luminescence when optically excited
A method of preparing a refractory oxide laser host material having high quantum efficiency and high thermal stability comprising the steps of:
- (a) removing hydrogen from a single crystal of said refractory oxide by dissociating hydrogen from the OH.sup.-- bonds within said crystal and simulataneously applying an electric field across said crystal to sweep the dissociated hydrogen ions from said crystal to a concentration level of less than 10.sup.12 protons/cm.sup.3 ;
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- (b) heating said crystal in an atmosphere of a cation of said refractory oxide at an elevated pressure to thermochemically reduce said crystal thereby forming oxygen vacancies within said crystal so that F.sup.+ luminescence is produced when said crystal is optically excited.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.