Abstract

Borate crystals with general formula RAl₃(BO₃)₄ (R = Y, La-Lu) possess good thermal and chemical stability and can be considered as polyfunctional materials with device potential due to the possibility of wide isomorphous substitutions. Of this borate family, the RE_xY_1-xAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystals are of interest for luminescence applications because they exhibit very low concentration quenching as the rare earth concentration is increased [1,2]. This means that it is potentially possible to achieve stronger luminescence and lower lasing thresholds in this family of crystals with high rare earth concentration. The authors of this work have studied the growth conditions, contents and spectroscopical characteristics of RE_xY_1-xAl₃(BO₃)₄ (RE=Ho) and PrAl₃(BO₃)₄.

© 1998 IEEE