Ca10Li(VO4)7:Nd3+, a promising laser material: growth, structure and spectral characteristics of a Czochralski-grown single crystal

• Pure and Nd-doped Ca10Li(VO4)7 single crystals were grown by the Czochralski method.
• The structure of Ca10Li(VO4)7 single crystal was refined.
• The defect structure of the single crystal was studied.
• Preliminary examination of Ca10Li(VO4)7:Nd crystal lasing properties was done.

Pure and Nd-doped Ca10Li(VO4)7 single crystals were grown by the Czochralski method. The structure of Ca10Li(VO4)7 single crystal was refined starting from a model of Ca10K(VO4)7 using the powder diffraction data collected at a laboratory high-resolution diffractometer. The defect structure of the single crystal was studied with the use of both, high-resolution diffraction using a laboratory instrument and X-ray topographic techniques employing synchrotron radiation at the Hasylab laboratory (Hamburg). Polarized absorption and luminescence spectra of Nd-doped Ca10Li(VO4)7 crystal were investigated in details. The laser oscillation was obtained under flash lamp pumping and the slope efficiency of 0.87% was achieved in the free-running mode. Preliminary examination of lasing properties points that Ca10Li(VO4)7:Nd crystal can be a highly efficient solid state laser medium. Crystals of this kind are expected to be suitable for application as efficient non-linear optics materials.