title: Effects of neodymium incorporation on the structural and luminescence properties of the YAl(3)(BO(3))(4)-NdAl(3)(BO(3))(4) system.
abstract: The luminescence of Nd(3+) ions in Nd(x)Y(1-x)Al(3)(BO(3))(4) (Nd:YAB) single crystals has been investigated as a function of the neodymium concentration in order to evidence the relation between the structural and spectroscopic properties in this nonlinear laser system. The analysis of the experimental data allowed us to individuate four different composition ranges. For moderate concentrations (x<0.2) the lattice parameters are nearly constant, and the emission spectra arise from Nd(3+) ions in unperturbed crystal sites. For concentrations in the 0.2<x<0.75 range the lattice parameters notably depend on the neodymium content, and a concomitant variation of the luminescence features is observed. In the 0.75<x<0.9 range a hexagonal to monoclinic phase transition takes place: the structural disorder is evidenced well by the broadening of the emission lines and by discontinuities in the concentration behaviour of other indicators such as the crystal-field strength, energy transfer parameters, etc. Finally, for x>0.9 the final formation of the NdAl(3)(BO(3))(4) (NAB) monoclinic phase is complete, and a new local ordering around Nd(3+) is very evident in the spectral features.
authors.affiliation: GIEL, Departamento de Física de los Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benayas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jaque
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García Solé
authors.forename: N I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Leonyuk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bovero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cavalli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bettinelli