Growth, thermal and optical properties of Yb:GdYAl3(BO3)4 crystal

Single crystal of Yb:GdYAl3(BO3)4(Yb:GdYAB) has been grown by the flux method. The structure of Yb:GdYAB crystal has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The experiment show that the crystal has the same structure as that of YAl3(BO3)4 crystal and its unit cell constants have been measured to be a = 9.30146 Å, c = 7.24164 Å, Vol = 542.59 Å3. The absorption and fluorescence spectrum of Yb:GdYAl3(BO3)4 crystal have also been measured at room temperature. In the absorption spectra, there are two absorption bands at 938 nm and 974 nm, respectively, which is suitable for InGaAs diode laser pumping. In the fluorescence spectra, there are two fluorescence peaks at 992 and 1040 nm. The thermal properties of Yb:GdYAl3(BO3)4 crystal have been studied for the first time. The thermal expansion coefficient along c-axis is almost 5.4 times larger than that along a-axis. The specific heat of the crystal has been measured to be 0.77 J/g °C at room temperature. The calculated thermal conductivity is 5.26 Wm−1 K−1 along a-direction.