Nd:YLF is an excellent crystal for modelocked operation because it combines the characteristics of weak

thermal lensing, large fluorescence line width and naturally polarized oscillation.

Advantages of Nd:YLF Crystals
High power, low beam divergence, efficient single mode operation
High average power Q-switching at a moderate repetition rate
Linear polarized resonators for Q-switching and frequency doubling
Potential uniform mode for large diameter rods or slabs
Stimulated emission cross section is favorable for low CW threshold
Thermal lensing lower than that of YAG
1053nm output of Nd:YLF matches gain curves of Nd:Glass and performs well as an oscillator and pre-amplifier for this host

Specifications

Dopant concentration

Nd: ~1.0 at%

Orientation

[100] or [001] within 5°

Wavefront distortion

≤0.25λ/inch @632.8nm

Rod sizes

Diameter 3~8mm, Length 10~120mm
Upon request of customer

Dimensional tolerances

Diameter: +0.00/-0.05mm, Length: ± 0.5mm

Barrel finish

Ground or polished

Parallelism

≤ 10"

Perpendicularity

≤ 5′

Flatness

≤ λ/10@632.8nm

Surface quality

10-5 (MIL-O-13830A)

Chamfer

0.15±0.05mm

AR coating reflectivity

≤0.25%@1047/1053nm

Optical and Spectral Properties

Laser transition

4F3/2→4I11/2

Laser wavelength

1047nm, 1053nm

Emission cross section

1.8×10-19cm2(E∥C) @1047nm
1.2×10-19cm2(E⊥C) @1053nm

Fluorescence lifetime

485μs (1.0at%Nd)

Index of refraction

no=1.443 ne=1.464 @633nm
no=1.448 ne=1.470 @1064nm

Physical and Chemical Properties

Crystal Structure

Tetragonal

Melting Point

825℃

Moh Hardness

4-5

Density

3.95g/cm3

Young's Modulus

7.5×1011dynes cm-2

Tensile Strength

3.3×108dynes cm-2

Thermal Expansion Coefficient

[100]Direction:13×10-6/K

[001]Direction:8×10-6/K

Thermal Conductivity

0.06W/cm/K