Progress in Nd 3+ , Er 3+ , and Yb 3+ doped laser glasses at Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics

This paper reviews the progress made on Nd 3+ , Er 3+ , and Yb 3+ doped laser glasses at SIOM , China. Key properties of Nd: phosphate and Nd: fluorophosphate ( FP ) laser glasses are presented and compared with the commercial laser glasses from Hoya and Schott. Also reviewed are properties of four types of Er: phosphate glasses. The development of a continuous, large‐scale melting platform producing high‐quality Nd: phosphate laser glass at SIOM is briefly described. Our study on the Stark splitting of Yb 3+ : 2 F 7/2 level indicates that mixed‐glass formers can significantly improve the Stark splitting, resulting enhancement of lasing performance of Yb: phosphate glass.