Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride

Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride (Nd:YLF) is a <a href="/facts/Active_laser_medium/Gmcharyh">lasing medium</a> for <a href="/facts/Arclamp/1y99ep6E">arc lamp</a>-<a href="/facts/Laser_pumping/nDlFU5QA">pumped</a> and <a href="/facts/Diode_laser/TjHzJteV">diode-pumped</a> <a href="/facts/Solid-state_laser/FJ24SRrK">solid-state lasers</a>. The <a href="/facts/Yttrium_lithium_fluoride/g8qs7Ek6">YLF</a> crystal (LiYF4) is naturally <a href="/facts/Birefringence/J4lLuR3a">birefringent</a>, and commonly used laser transitions occur at 1047 nm and 1053 nm.
It is used in <a href="/facts/Q-switching/BNVh2d4N">Q-switched</a> systems in part due 
to its relatively long fluorescence lifetime.
As with <a href="/facts/Nd%3aYAG_laser/n3Y2LHRc">Nd:YAG lasers</a>, <a href="/facts/Harmonic_generation/maerngXd">harmonic generation</a> is frequently 
employed with Q-switched Nd:YLF 
to produce shorter wavelengths. A common application
of frequency-doubled Nd:YLF pulses is to pump ultrafast 
<a href="/facts/Ti-sapphire_laser/pUWECwSc">Ti:Sapphire chirped-pulse amplifiers</a>.
Neodymium-doped YLF can provide higher pulse energies than Nd:YAG for repetition rates of a few kHz or less. Compared to Nd:YAG, the Nd:YLF crystal is very <a href="/facts/Brittle/cn27H2vg">brittle</a> 
and fractures easily. It is also slightly water-<a href="/facts/Solubility/kLE9h3Jb">soluble</a> — a YLF laser rod may very 
slowly dissolve in cooling water which surrounds it.<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173543/http://www.leelaser.com/pdf/Nd-YLF%20vs%20Nd-YAG.pdf">[1]</a>

Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride open-in-new

Neodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride