Er:YVO.sub.4 laser oscillator, solid-state laser material and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

An Er:YVO.sub.4 laser oscillator has an excitation light source constituted by a laser diode and a medium constituted by an Er:YVO.sub.4 crystal in which Er.sup.3+ ions are activators and YVO.sub.4 is a host material. The oscillation light is perpendicular or parallel to c-axis of the crystal. The laser operates in target wavelengths on energy transitions of the Er.sup.3+ ions, the target wavelengths being 510 nm to 590 nm, 840 nm to 870 nm, 970 nm to 1020 nm, and 1450 nm to 1700 nm. The crystal is coated with a TiO.sub.2 --SiO.sub.2 system high reflection mirror coating and a fluoride megnesium-zeolite system antireflection coating corresponding to the target wavelengths and a fluoride megnesium-zeolite system antireflection coating corresponding to the wavelength of the laser diode. These coatings together with an output mirror constitute a resonator. For manufacturing the crystal, Er.sub.2 O.sub.3, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, and V.sub.2 O.sub.5 used as starting materials are subjected to a Czochralski growth process using a high frequency induction heating furnace with the direction of growth being in an a-axis. This is followed by a thermal treatment under a temperature in the neighborhood of a growth temperature or a thermal treatment in an oxygen atmosphere. It has been made possible to produce a single laser crystal of YVO.sub.4 with an improved quality and enhanced yield.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.