University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc

The United States of America as Represented by the United States

Bruce H Chai

Stephen Anthony Payne

William F Krupke

Michael Bass

Laura D DeLoach

Xinxiong Zhang

Wayne L Kway

John F Nicholls

Pin Hong

Laser pumping and flashlamp pumping of apatite crystals such as trivalent neodymium-doped strontium fluorapatite (Sr.sub.5 (PO.sub.4).sub.3 F) emits efficient lasing at both 1.059 and 1.328 .mu.m. The pump sources for the SFAP material doped with Nd.sup.3+ includes pulsed Cr:LiSrAlF.sub.6 tuned to approximately 805.4 nm. Alternatively, similar results occurred using a continuous wave laser source of Ti:sapphire tuned to approximately 805.4 nm. A preferred embodiment includes a resonant cavity with a high reflectivity mirror having a reflectivity of 100% and an output coupler mirror with a reflectivity of less than 100%. An optional tuning component such as a Pockels Cell-Polarizer combination can also be included. The SFAP material doped with Nd.sup.3+ exhibits a large absorption cross section, high emission cross section, and long radiative lifetime.

1.3 .mu.m lasers using Nd.sup.3+  doped apatite crystals

Semiconductor light emitting and sensing devices are comprised of a lattice matching wurtzite structure oxide substrate and a III-V nitride compound semiconductor single crystal film epitaxially grown on the substrate. Single crystals of these oxides are grown and the substrates are produced. The lattice matching substrates include Lithium Aluminum Oxide (LiAlO.sub.2), Lithium Gallium Oxide (LiGaO.sub.2), Lithium Silicon Oxide (Li.sub.2 SiO.sub.3), Lithium Germanium Oxide (Li.sub.2 GeO.sub.3), Sodium Aluminum Oxide (NaAlO.sub.2), Sodium Gallium Oxide (NaGaO.sub.2), Sodium Germanium Oxide (Na.sub.2 GeO.sub.3), Sodium Silicon Oxide (Na.sub.2 SiO.sub.3), Lithium Phosphor Oxide (Li.sub.3 PO.sub.4), Lithium Arsenic Oxide (Li.sub.3 AsO.sub.4), Lithium Vanadium Oxide (Li.sub.3 VO.sub.4), Lithium Magnesium Germanium Oxide (Li.sub.2 MgGeO.sub.4), Lithium Zinc Germanium Oxide (Li.sub.2 ZnGeO.sub.4), Lithium Cadmium Germanium Oxide (Li.sub.2 CdGeO.sub.4), Lithium Magnesium Silicon Oxide (Li.sub.2 MgSiO.sub.4), Lithium Zinc Silicon Oxide (Li.sub.2 ZnSiO.sub.4), Lithium Cadmium Silicon Oxide (Li.sub.2 CdSiO.sub.4), Sodium Magnesium Germanium Oxide (Na.sub.2 MgGeO.sub.4), Sodium Zinc Germanium Oxide (Na.sub.2 ZnGeO.sub.4) and Sodium Zinc Silicon Oxide (Na.sub.2 ZnSiO.sub.4). These substrates are used to grow single crystal epitaxial films of III-V nitride compound semiconductors with the composition Al.sub.x In.sub.y Ga.sub.1-x-y N 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.1, 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1, and 0.ltoreq.x+y.ltoreq.1. The semiconductor light devices can also include mixed combinations of any two or more of the above listed compounds. Furthermore, the preferred lattice matching substrates can include all the above listed modified wurtzite structure oxide compounds and their mixed crystals with substitution of the following elements, Be, B, N, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, In and Sb. With the exception of N which can partially replaces oxygen only, all the rest elements are able to replace partially the cations of the above mentioned wurtzite structure oxide compounds. The types of semiconductor light devices that use this invention include light emitting devices, laser diodes, optical pumped laser diodes and optical detectors such as photoluminescence sensors and photo detectors. The laser diode devices can include a lateral or vertical Fabry-Perot resonant cavity, with or without metal electrodes.

Modified wurtzite structure oxide compounds as substrates for III-V

Crystals made of RbNbB.sub.2 O.sub.6 (RNB) crystal or any of the XYB.sub.2 O.sub.6 family members (where X.dbd.Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Tl; Y.dbd.Nb, Ta, V, Sb) or related combinations in solid solutions are useful as Nonlinear Optical Devices. These crystals can produce nonlinear optical conversion effects including second harmonic generation (SHG), sum frequency generation (SFG), differential frequency generation (DFG) and optical parametric amplification (OPA). These nonlinear conversions operate on both bulk crystals and thin films including waveguide devices. RNB crystals have the advantage over prior art crystals for having better UV (ultra-violet) transparency on the order of 270 nm.

RbNbB.sub.2 O.sub.6 crystal and its nonlinear optical devices

Yb.sup.3+ and Nd.sup.3+ doped Sr.sub.5 (VO.sub.4).sub.3 F crystals serve as useful infrared laser media that exhibit low thresholds of oscillation and high slope efficiencies, and can be grown with high optical quality. These laser media possess unusually high absorption and emission cross sections, which provide the crystals with the ability to generate greater gain for a given amount of pump power. Many related crystals such as Sr.sub.5 (VO.sub.4).sub.3 F crystals doped with other rare earths, transition metals, or actinides, as well as the many structural analogs of Sr.sub.5 (VO.sub.4).sub.3 F, where the Sr.sup.2+ and F.sup.- ions are replaced by related chemical species, have similar properties.

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Oviedo, FL, United States of America

Bruce H Chai