Achievements and Future Perspectives of the Trivalent Thulium-Ion-Doped Mixed-Sesquioxide Ceramics for Laser Applications

Abstract

This paper is devoted to reviewing the latest results achieved in solid-state lasers based on thulium-doped mixed-sesquioxide ceramics, i.e., (Lu,Sc,Y)2O3. The near- and mid-infrared regions are of interest for many applications, from medicine to remote sensing, as they match molecular fingerprints and cover several atmospheric transparency windows. These matrices are characterized by a strong electron–phonon interaction—which results in a large splitting of the ground state—and by a spectral broadening of the optical transition suitable for developing tunable and short-pulse lasers. In particular, the manuscript reports on the trivalent thulium laser transitions at 1.5, 1.9, and 2.3 µm, along with the thermal and optical characteristics of the (Lu,Sc,Y)2O3 ceramics, including the fabrication techniques, spectroscopic and optical properties, and laser performances achieved in different pumping regimes, such as continuous-wave (CW), quasi-CW, and pulsed modes. A comparison of the performance obtained with these mixed-sesquioxide ceramics and with the corresponding crystals is reported.