This Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Phase I project will evaluate a fluoride crystalline material; NaYF4 (NYF) as a host for laser diode pumped laser. Nd:NYF has superior spectroscopic properties to Nd:YLF and Nd:YAG, crystals that are widely used in commercial laser diode-pumped lasers and has comparable properties to Nd: YVO4, a material more efficient than either YAG or YLF. When a combination of Yb and Er dopants are incorporated to NYF, this material shows great promise for an upconversion phosphor. AC Materials Inc. proposes to develop enabling technology for production of high optical quality NYF crystals for laser applications. AC Materials has conceived an innovative approach to grow uniformly doped single crystals of non-stoichiometric fluoride materials. The Phase I program will involve growth of single crystals also by the Top-Seeded Solution Growth technique, which will produce samples of enough size and quality for laser evaluation. Material properties that are relevant to the application of NYF as a laser will also be measured. Production of granular rare-earth doped NYF will enable its evaluation as a phosphor material. The commercial market of this material is two fold: for a replacement material used as the bases for diode pumped lasers and displays. During Phase I, the proposer will work with OEM manufactures to incorporate this material into their products. This material shows great promise to replace current materials used in the industry.
