Solid-state luminescent light filters for neodymium lasers

The spectral-luminescent characteristics of KLZh-5 glass and quartz glasses alloyed with Sm(2+) ions are examined to determine whether these glasses can be used in pulsed neodymium lasers as filtering and light-transforming elements of the pumping cavity. The advantages of KLZh-5 glass, whose absorption and luminescence spectra are better matched with the excitation spectrum of Nd(3+) ions, are demonstrated using a YAG:Nd(3+) laser as an example. On the basis of an analysis of the spectrum structures and luminescence kinetics, ways to improve the characteristics of the light filters are discussed.