Crystal growth, spectral properties and Judd-Ofelt analysis of Ho:GdScO3 crystal

Ho3+-doped GdScO3 crystal was successfully grown by the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) method. The spectroscopic properties of Ho:GdScO3 crystal were investigated at room temperature. The peak absorption cross-sections were 0.33 × 10−20 cm2 and 1.24 × 10−20 cm2 at 1160 nm and 653 nm with full widths at half maximum of 171.7 nm and 11.5 nm. The peak emission cross-sections of 5I7→5I8 and 5I6→5I7 transitions for the crystal were 0.49 × 10−20 cm2 and 1.24 × 10−20 cm2, respectively. The fluorescence lifetimes of the 5I6 and 5I7 multiplets were measured to be 1.12 ms and 6.13 ms, respectively. The results show that Ho:GdScO3 crystal is a very promising material for 3 μm laser operation.