Spectroscopic properties of Ho3+-doped PbF2 single crystal for 2μm lasers

A Ho:PbF2 crystal was grown successfully by the conventional technique modified Bridgman method. Based on the Judd-Ofelt theory, the spectral parameters of Ho3+ were studied in detail by using the absorption spectrum of the as-grown crystal. Moreover, the emission probabilities, branching ratio, and radiative lifetime for the as grown crystal were also calculated. The stimulated emission cross-sections of the 5I7 → 5I8 transition were calculated by using the Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg (FL) method. The fluorescence lifetime of the 5I7 manifold was measured with a value of 13.6 ms. We propose that the Ho:PbF2 crystal may be a promising material for 2 μm laser applications.