Growth, Elastic, Thermal, and Crystal Field Analysis of the Yb³⁺:YScSi₂O₇ Laser Crystal

Abstract

Elastic and thermal properties of the YScSi 2 O 7 crystal have been simulated theoretically. The mechanical and thermal properties of YScSi 2 O 7 are better than those of Lu 2 Si 2 O 7 with the same crystal structure. An Yb 3+ :YScSi 2 O 7 single-crystal rod has been grown by the micropulling-down method. The 2 F 7/2 ground-state splitting of Yb 3+ in YScSi 2 O 7 is up to 924 cm −1 . Based on the superposition model (SPM), the intrinsic crystal field parameters of Yb 3+ :YScSi 2 O 7 have been obtained. All the results indicate that Yb 3+ :YScSi 2 O 7 is a potential material for the Yb 3+ laser with excellent mechanical and thermodynamic properties.