GdVO4 as a new medium for solid-state lasers: some optical and thermal properties of crystals doped with Cd3+, Tm3+, and Er3+ ions

The refractive indices of new Nd³⁺ : GdVO₄, Tm³⁺ : GdVO₄, and Er³⁺ : GdVO₄ laser crystals were determined with an error of ±5×10^-5 in the range 400–1100 nm. The birefringence of these crystals was on the average 0.24, and the dispersion was described by the formula 1/Δn² = a+ b/λ². The thermal conductivity of the Nd : GdVO₄ crystal (atomic neodymium concentration 1.3%) was determined in the temperature range 77–300 K. At 300 K the conductivity along the <110> direction was 11.7 W m^-1 K^-1, which was higher than the conductivity of Nd : YAG crystals.