Monocrystalline materials based on Ba3LnM(5+)3O12 (M(5+) = V, Nb, Ta) compounds

Recent crystallochemical studies have shown that the compounds formed in the system BaO-Ln2O3-M2O5 (where Ln stands for rare-earth ions) are promising materials for the active media of miniature lasers. Here, the synthesis of Ba3LnM(5+)3O12 single crystals (where Ln = Nd, La; M(5+) = V, Nb, Ta) is discussed, and some results of structural and spectral studies are examined. It is shown that the ease of fabrication, the wide concentration ranges of isomorphous and isostructural rare-earth dopants (up to 100 pct for Nb and Ta), and low luminiscence quenching, combined with good spectral properties, make these crystals suitable for commercial laser applications.