Optical characterization of Nd 3+ :LiCaAlF 6 in the vacuum ultraviolet region at low temperature

Solid-state vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) lasers are currently being developed because these are more robust, easier to maintain, and more cost-efficient compared to conventional light sources such as excimer lasers, synchrotron radiation, and free electron lasers. Fluorides are excellent solid-state laser host materials for this purpose because of their wide bandgaps, making them transparent down to nearly 100 nm. Moreover, interconfigurational 4f n−1 to 4f n transitions in rare-earth-doped fluorides result to broad fluorescence bandwidths. Previous work has shown that LiCaAlF 6 is an excellent laser host when doped with Ce 3 + ions [1]. However, emission from Ce 3+ activator ions cannot extend below 265 nm. In this work, we investigate the optical properties of Nd 3+ -doped LiCaAlFe (Nd:LiCAF). Nd 3+ -doping results to emissions in the VUV region.