Nd3doped

Nd3+-doped materials are solid-state laser media in which neodymium ions (Nd3+) are incorporated into a crystalline or glass host. The Nd3+ ion provides sharp 4f-4f transitions that enable efficient light absorption and emission with relatively little lattice vibration, making these materials suitable for diode-pumped lasers and optical amplifiers. The primary laser transition is from the 4F3/2 level to the 4I11/2 level, producing light near 1060–1070 nm. Pump light around 808 nm is commonly used to excite Nd3+ into higher manifolds, creating the population inversion needed for laser action.

Common Nd3+-doped hosts include crystalline materials such as Nd:YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet), Nd:YVO4 (vanadate), and Nd:YLF (lithium yttrium fluoride phosphate), as well as various phosphate and silicate glasses. In crystals, Nd3+ concentrations typically range from about 0.2 to 1.0 atomic percent, balancing strong absorption with manageable concentration effects; in glass, dopant levels are often tens to hundreds of parts per million by weight.

Optical properties depend on the host, but Nd3+-doped crystals generally offer relatively long-lived 4F3/2 states (lifetimes on the order of 100–300 microseconds, depending on host and doping). This enables efficient, scalable laser operation, including continuous-wave and pulsed regimes. The materials also exhibit broad absorption bands around the common pump wavelengths, supporting diode-pumped configurations.

Applications include high-power solid-state lasers, ultrafast laser sources, and optical amplifiers. Synthesis typically involves crystal growth methods such as the Czochralski process for crystals (and suitable glassmaking techniques for doped glasses) to achieve homogeneous Nd3+ distribution and controlled optical quality.