Yttrium aluminum garnet crystals with neodymium doping (Nd:YAG) are a popular laser crystal. Due to its superior optical qualities, yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) is frequently utilized as a laser material and other luminous substrate materials. In the crystal structure of YAG, the dopant (triple ionized neodymium) usually replaces yttrium because they have similar dimensions. The crystal body is typically doped with 1% neodymium.
Nd:YAG crystals are widely utilized in solid-state lasers in numerous disciplines, including materials processing, laser medicine, laser ranging, and target designators, etc. Alfa Chemistry is an expert at customizing Nd:YAG laser crystals, and will patiently and carefully walk customers through the process of doing so online.
Advantages of Nd:YAG Crystals
Nd:YAG single crystal development is a challenging and intricate procedure. It is difficult for Nd3+ to replace Y3+ due to the ions' different radii. This could result in Nd3+ enrichment, which could cause heat stress, irregular optical characteristics, and fluorescence bursts. The Nd doping level in YAG single crystals should be extremely low as a result. However, it is challenging to manufacture high-quality crystals for high-power laser production at too low a doping level.
Fig 1. HRTEM image of Nd:YAG grains with different Nd doping levels (at%) prepared at 1200 ℃: (a) 1.1, (b) 2.9, (c) 6, (d) 8, (e) 10, (f) 15, (g) 20. (Zhang X, et al. 2013)
To overcome these problems, Alfa Chemistry scientists have been looking for suitable ways to raise the doping level of Nd, for example by using a sintering process to produce transparent polycrystalline materials of Nd:YAG. Some of the properties of our polycrystalline Nd:YAG material have been demonstrated in applications where the material can be used as a laser material for high power solid state lasers.
Advantages:
- High optical quality and low loss at 1.06 mm
- High mechanical strength and high optical quality
- Good thermal conductivity and thermal shock properties
- Multiple modes of operation (CW, pulsed, Q-switched, mode-locked)
Properties of Nd:YAG Crystals
| Basic Properties | |
|---|---|
| Crystal Structure | Cubic |
| Lattice Parameter | 12.01Å |
| Density | 4.5 g/cm3 |
| Melting Point | ~ 1970 ℃ |
| Mohs Hardness | 8.5 |
| Thermal Conductivity | 7.8x10-6 /K <111> |
| Thermal Expansion Coefficients | 14 W/M/K, 20 ℃; 10.5 W/M/K, 100 ℃ |
| Refractive Indices | 1.82 |
| Stimulated Emission Cross-Section | 2.8x10-19 cm-2 |
| Radiative Lifetime | 550 us |
| Spontaneous Fluorescence | 230 us |
| Pump Wavelength | 807.5 nm |
| Polarized Emission | Unpolarized |
| Thermal Birefringence | High |
| Pump Wavelength Absorption Band | 1nm |
| Loss Coefficient | 0.003cm-1@1064nm |
| Alfa Chemistry offers Nd:YAG specification | |
| Dimension | Upon customer request |
| Dimension Tolerance | Rods with diameter +0.0/-0.05 mm, L±0.1mm |
| Doping(atm%) | 0.1% ~ 2.5% |
| Orientation | <111>, <100>, <110> crystalline direction |
| Flatness | λ/10 @ 632.8nm |
| Surface Quality | 10/5 Scratch/Dig MIL-O-1380A |
| Clear Aperture | > 90% |
| Damage Threshold | 750MW/cm2 at 1064nm, TEM00, 10ns, 10Hz |
| Coating | AR/HR/PR coating upon customer's request |
| Quality Warranty Period | One year under proper use |
Why Choose Alfa Chemistry?
Alfa Chemistry sells cutting-edge Nd:YAG laser crystals to customers. The size is tailored to the client's requirements. To guarantee that every crystal fulfills customer requirements, we use premium starting materials for crystal development, bulk ingot interferometry, accurate determination of Nd content using transmission spectroscopy, and fluorescence lifetime measurements.
If you need technical advice, please contact our technical team to learn more about our high-quality services.
Reference
- Zhang X, et al. (2013). "Influence of Neodymium-Doping on Structure and Properties of Yttrium Aluminium Garnet." CrystEngComm. 15: 8029-8035.