Crystal Growth and Physical Characterization of Monoclinic Li3Lu3Ba2(MoO4)8. A Spectrally Broadened Disordered Crystal for Ultrafast Mode-Locked Lasers

• Published in: Crystal growth & design Vol. 12; no. 8; pp. 3878 - 3887
• Main Authors: Han, Xiumei, Calderón-Villajos, Rocío, Esteban-Betegón, Fátima, Cascales, Concepción, Zaldo, Carlos, Jezowski, Andrzej, Stachowiak, Piotr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington,DC American Chemical Society 01-08-2012
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Growth from melts; zone melting and refining; Inorganic compounds; Laser materials; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Optical materials; Optics; Physics; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Structure of specific crystalline solids; Crystal growth; Flux growth; TSSG method; Cross section; Cooling rate; Crystal seeds; Laser materials; Monoclinic lattices; Thermal properties; Specific heat; Monocrystals; Trigonal lattices; Holmium; Growth mechanism; Thermal conductivity; Laser modes; Absorption spectra; Thermodynamic properties; Disordered crystals; Cross sections; Optical absorption; Arsenic additions; Crystal structure
• ISSN: 1528-7483; 1528-7505
• DOI: 10.1021/cg300105g

Undoped Li3Lu3Ba2(MoO4)8 monoclinc (C2/c) single crystals, as well as crystals doped with Tm or Ho and codoped with Tm and Ho, have been grown by the top seeded solution growth method using Li2MoO4 as the solvent. A convenient growth flux was found for the solute/solvent molar composition of 1:5; for this, the growth temperature interval was ≈1073–1053 K, with a cooling rate of 0.05 K/h. The crystal shape is controlled by the seed orientation, and a- and b-oriented seeds give rise to near rectangular cross sections while c-oriented seeds produce rhombohedral cross sections. The grown crystals are deficient in Li with regard to the nominal formula. Li and Lu (Tm, Ho) ions share the same 8f crystal site with occupancy factors near 0.2 and 0.8, respectively. The relationships between the crystallographic and physical frames of some crystal properties (thermal expansion, refractive indices, and optical absorption) are determined as well as the specific heat and thermal conductivity (along a- and b-crystal axes). Perspectives for application of these disordered crystals as mode-locked ultrafast laser media are discussed.