Spontaneous and stimulated emission in Sm3+-doped YAl3(BO3)4 single crystal

Single crystals of YAl3(BO3)4 doped with trivalent samarium were grown by the top-seeded high temperature solution method and their absorption and emission spectra were investigated. Optical pumping into prominent absorption band around 405 nm feeds the 4G5/2 metastable level giving rise to intense visible luminescence distributed in several spectral lines with the most intense line around 600 nm characterized by a branching ratio of 0.42 and peak emission cross section of 0.25×10−20 cm2. Optical amplification at 600 nm with a gain coefficient of 2.9 cm−1 was achieved during a pump-and-probe experiment.