Spectroscopy of Ce-codoped Er : BaY2F8 single-crystals

To study the fruitful effect of Cc codoping in Er:BaY2F8 for laser operation at around 1.5 mu m, we present the spectroscopic characterization of several Er-Ce codoped crystals as a function of Cc doping level. We show that the Cc presence triggers some cross-relaxation mechanisms from energy levels higher than I-4(13/2) that strongly help the population inversion efficiency for the 1.5 mu m emission, without greatly affecting the I-4(13/2) level lifetime. This result may be interesting from the point of view of obtaining a low-threshold infrared laser. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.