Influence of defects in the output power of c- and a-axis growth Nd:YVO₄ single laser crystals

The differences in the output powers of a- and c-axis growth neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO₄) crystals grown by the Czochralski method were investigated. It was found that the differences in the output powers are due to crystal defects, such as veils and grain boundaries, which lead to changes in the thermal and optical properties of Nd:YVO₄ and reduce the quality of the laser beam. To relieve internal stresses introduced by the crystal growth process, boules form grain boundaries and other thermodynamically favorable defects in the boule. Because c-axis grown Nd:YVO₄ crystals do not contain a slip system, no grain boundaries or ghost veils can form. As a result, c-axis grown boules are highly vulnerable to thermal and stress fractures and require careful growth parameter selection to overcome these defects. However, a-axis grown crystal contain a slip system and can form thermodynamically stable defects including grain boundaries, scatter centers, and ghost veils. In this paper, data are presented showing that properly grown c-axis growth crystal, having no grain boundaries or veils, is more suited for high output power applications than a-axis grown one.