Bi2ZnOB2O6 single crystal doped with Nd3+ ions is characterized by high values of nonlinear optical
coefficients as well as the effective luminescence of excited Nd3+ ions, which make this system a unique candidate for near
infrared to visible laser converters. The investigated Bi2ZnOB2O6:Nd3+ single crystal was
grown by means of the Kyropoulos method. The vibrational properties
of Bi2ZnOB2O6:Nd3+ were
studied using μ-Raman spectroscopy. In particular, the Raman-active
modes detected in parallel and cross-polarizations were assigned to
the vibrations of the characteristic molecular groups BO3, BO4, ZnO4, and BiO6. In the absorption
spectra of Bi2ZnOB2O6:Nd3+ the bands related to the optical transitions from the 4I9/2 ground state to the excited states of Nd3+ ions were detected at 432, 515, 528, 533, 577, 586, 689, 750, 810,
874, and 1605 nm. Moreover, the strong emission of Bi2ZnOB2O6:Nd3+ with a maximum at about 1062
nm (4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition) was detected under the excitation at 514 nm. The decay
kinetics profile monitored for the 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition of Nd3+ ions shows
a relatively long fluorescence lifetime equal to 109 μs, which
allows efficient emission from the 4F3/2 level
of Nd3+ ions. Because of the good spectroscopic properties
of the investigated system as well as nonlinear optical properties
of the host, the Bi2ZnOB2O6:Nd3+ single crystal can be efficiently used as the self-frequency
doubling lasers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.