Consejo Superior de Investigationes Cientificas (CSIC), SpainThe Materials Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM) belongs to the largest research and development governmental institution in Spain, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC). ICMM is a multidisciplinary centre devoted to fundamental aspects of new materials. The institute hosts about 300 people, about 100 of them are staff scientists with PhD degree and a similar number are PhD students. The group of Spectroscopy and Laser Materials at ICMM has expertise on single crystal growth as well as in optical characterization. Crystal growth is based on the Czochralski technique and applied to materials with congruent melting. Recent activity has been focussed on AT(MoO4)2 (A=Li, Na; T=Bi, Gd) doped with Ln-ions. Crystals up to 50 mm long and 20 mm in diameter are pulled at typical rates of 1 to 2 mm/h. The broadened Ln-ion bands in these crystals are suitable for diode pumping. These disordered crystals as well as other ordered laser crystals as KGd(WO4)2 and AT(MoO4)2 (A=Li, Na; T=Bi, Gd) doped with Ln-ions. Crystals up to 50 mm long and 20 mm in diameter are pulled at typical rates of 1 to 2 mm/h. The broadened Ln-ion bands in these crystals as KGd(WO4)2, NdAl3(BO3)4 have been studied spectroscopically with the available equipment. A key step in the understanding of the optical properties is achieved modelling the energy levels by the crystal field theory, this allows to simulate and distinguish the contribution of different centres. The activity aims to improve the efficiency of DPSSLs and eye-adapted (green emission) lasers. The properties of green lasers are considered from two different points of view: First, by frequency conversion using nonlinear crystals, namely KTP or RTP and second, by up-conversion processes. The group has participated in several international collaborations with the Optoelectronics Research Centre in Southampton and the CNRS-UMR7574-Paris and keeps close contact with laboratories for ion beam analysis in Sacave_m (Portugal) and optical interferometry in Aveiro (Portugal). Members of the group regularly contribute to the International Conference of f-elements and hosted the 2000 meeting in Madrid. Other research activities are related to the growth of piezoelectric single crystals by the Bridgman method, ferroelectric thin films by pulsed laser deposition and optical studies of surface textures in photovoltaic Si cells.
More information on the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) can be found on:
http://www.csic.es
For Information of The Materials Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM) look at:
http://www.icmm.csic.es