Abstract

The 3-µm transition from the ⁵/₆ to ⁵/₇ levels of Ho³⁺ has been lased in many crystals, including yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG).¹ However, the efficiency of this lasing is usually low because of poor utilization of flashlamp pump light. However, the efficiency of this lasing is usually low because of poor utilization of flashlamp pump light. To improve the performance of this transition, Yb³⁺ is added as a sensitizer, coupling the energy from the Yb³⁺²F_5/2 level into the Ho^{3+ 5}/₆ level. This has been demonstrated to be an effective sensitizing mechanism for Ho:YAG,² Lasing in (Ho,Yb):YA6 has been reported previously,³ but little Is known about the performance of this potentially useful solid-state laser.

© 1988 Optical Society of America