SBIR Phase I: Ultra-High Powered Lasers: Lanthanide Oxide Single Crystals as a New Light Source

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将证明适当掺杂镧系氧化物单晶（即Yb:Sc2O3）可以通过商业上可行的水热工艺生长的概念。这些晶体将使新型高功率二极管泵浦固体激光器的发展成为可能，其功率为千瓦，脉冲操作时间为200飞秒。使用掺杂镧系氧化物作为增益介质，由于其良好的配体场参数，优异的导热性和高的热稳定性，显示出非凡的前景。最重要的是，它们的导热性非常高，因此它们可以很容易地排出废热。然而，由于其极难熔的性质，它们的使用受到无法制造单晶的限制。它们的熔点超过2400摄氏度，使得用传统方法生长晶体变得困难。一个商业上可行的途径，适当掺杂Ln2O3将使新的高功率激光器用于加工，切割，焊接和人眼安全应用，如激光雷达，遥测和测距。研究小组将1)开发一种可扩展且商业上可行的水热生长工艺，用于生产掺杂的Ln:Sc2O3单晶（其中Ln是Yb， Er和Nd）。这些晶体的尺寸和质量将适合用于原型设备。此外，晶体生长领域一般不包括在美国传统大学课程中。因此，该领域在美国正在“消亡”，大部分商业晶体生产已转移到海外。维持一支训练有素的晶体种植骨干队伍对于美国保持其在先进材料和技术方面的竞争优势是绝对必要的。该公司也是在该地区发展迅速的大学/公司新成立的联盟的卡罗莱纳微光三角区（CMOT）的一部分。参与这些经济发展活动将有助于通过知识经济的增长提高南卡罗来纳州的生活质量。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will prove out the concept that appropriately doped single crystals of lanthanide oxides (i.e. Yb:Sc2O3) can be grown via a commercially viable hydrothermal process. These crystals will enable the development of new high powered diode pumped solid state lasers with cw powers in kilowatts and pulse operations to 200 femtoseconds. The use of doped lanthanide oxides as gain media shows exceptional promise because of their favorable ligand-field parameters, excellent thermal conductivity and high thermal stability. Most importantly, their thermal conductivity is very high so they can shed waste heat easily. However, their use has been limited by the inability to manufacture the single crystals due to their extremely refractory nature. Their melting points exceed 2400C, making crystal growth by conventional methods difficult. A commercially viable route to appropriately doped Ln2O3 will enable new high powered lasers for machining, cutting, welding and eye-safe applications like LIDAR, telemetry and range finding. The research team will 1) develop a scaleable and commercially viable hydrothermal growth process for the production of doped single crystals of Ln:Sc2O3 (where Ln is Yb, Er Nd). These crystals will be of a size and quality suitable for use in prototype devices. In addition, the field of crystal growth is not generally covered in traditional University curricula in the United States. As a result, the field is "dying" in the US and most of the commercial crystal growth has moved offshore. The maintenance of a cadre of trained crystal growers is absolutely essential for the United States to maintain its competitive advantage in advanced materials and technology. The company is also part of a newly created consortium of universities/companies growing rapidly in the area, the Carolina Micro-optics Triangle (CMOT). Joining in these economic development activities will help improve quality of life in the South Carolina through growth of the knowledge economy.