Growth, thermal and spectral properties of Sr6ErSc(BO3)6 crystal

• Sr6ErSc(BO3)6 crystal was grown successfully by TSSG method from a Li6B4O9 flux.
• Sr6ErSc(BO3)6 crystal has good thermal and spectral properties.
• Sr6ErSc(BO3)6 crystal is a potential laser material for 1.55 μm laser.

A new crystal of Sr6ErSc(BO3)6 was grown successfully by top seeded solution growth method from a Li6B4O9 flux. Its thermal and spectral properties were investigated in detail. The thermal expansion coefficients are 6.42 × 10−6 K−1 along a-axis, and 9.75 × 10−6 K−1 along c-axis, respectively. The thermal conductivity is about 2.2 W/(m K) at room temperature. The emission cross sections at 1548 nm are 1.7 × 10−21 cm2 for π-polarization, and 2.0 × 10−21 cm2 for σ-polarization, respectively. The fluorescence lifetime of the 4I13/2 manifold is 0.78 ms. The results show that Sr6ErSc(BO3)6 crystal is a potential 1.55 μm laser gain medium material.