Growth and optical properties of Pr3+ doped Na3La9O3(BO3)8 crystal

Pr3+ doped Na3La9O3(BO3)8 (Pr3+:NLBO) crystals were grown by the top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) method. Powder X-ray diffraction results show that the introduction of Pr3+ does not change the structure of NLBO crystal. Pr3+ concentration was determined to be 1.21×1021 ions/cm3 by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The refractive index was measured by using the minimum deviation method, and Sellmeier equations were fitted. The absorption and emission spectra were measured at room temperature with a (100) oriented crystal wafer. The unpolarized and polarized emission properties under the 450 nm excitation were evaluated. The decay time of the 498 nm emission assigned to the 3P0-3H4 transition was also measured. The spectroscopic parameters were calculated, which are consistent with the experimental results. The results indicate that Pr3+:NLBO crystal might be a promising laser material.