Lasing at 1065 nm in bulk Nd 3+ -doped telluride-tungstate glass

Abstract

We have achieved, for the first time to our knowledge, lasing in a new type of telluride-tungstate glass host doped with neodymium: Nd3+:(0.8)TeO2–(0.2)WO3. Lasing was obtained at 1065 nm with two samples containing 0.5 mol% and 1.0 mol% Nd2O3. During gain-switched operation, slope efficiencies of 12% and 10% were obtained with the 0.5 mol% and 1.0 mol% doped samples, respectively, at a pulse repetition rate of 1 kHz. Judd–Ofelt analysis was further employed to determine the emission cross section σe at 1065 nm from the absorption spectra and lifetime data. The emission cross section from the Judd–Ofelt analysis came to 3.23 ± 0.09 × 10−20 cm2, in reasonable agreement with the value of 2.0 ± 0.13 × 10−20 cm2 obtained from the analysis of laser threshold data.