Flux growth and liquid phase epitaxy of undoped and Mn6+-doped sulfates, tungstates, and molybdates

The Mn6+ ion is a promising activator ion for tunable and short-pulse laser materials because of its broadband luminescence in the spectral region 850-1600 nm and its simple 3d1 electronic configuration, which excludes an occurrence of undesirable exited-state absorption into higher 3d levels. However, hexavalent manganese can be stabilized only in the tetrahedral oxo-coordination and easily reduces to Mn5+ or Mn4+ at temperatures above 600°C. Recently, flux [1] and liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) [2] growth of Mn6+-doped sulfates has been reported, while except for BaMoO4:Mn6+ [3] investigations on the mechanically more stable alkaline-earth-metal molybdates and tungstates as possible host materials for efficient Mn6+ incorporation have as yet not been reported.\ud We investigated the growth conditions of undoped and Mn6+-doped MAO4, with M = Ca, Sr, Ba and A = S, Mo, W, from the ternary NaCl-KCl-CsCl solvent at temperatures 480-600°C. The growth rates increase in the series tungstates < molybdates < sulfates and depending on the cation, in the series Ca < Sr < Ba. The dopant ion Mn6+ can be easily incorporated into BaSO4, less well into BaMoO4 and BaWO4, whereas for Ca- and Sr-containing tungstates and molybdates no significant doping was found, independent on the concentration of Mn6+ in the liquid solution. Moreover, reduction of the Mn6+ ion cannot be avoided, even at the presence of oxidizing additives such as K2CO3 or NaOH.\ud LPE was employed for growing Mn6+-doped layers of BaAO4 compounds. Growth velocities of 3-5 µm/h in the temperature interval from 490-540°C from chloridic solution, containing 0.3-1mol% of K2MnO4 with respect to the solute, delivered dark-pink BaSO4 and slightly green BaMoO4 and BaWO4 layers up to 200 µm in thickness. With respect to high Mn6+ doping levels, BaSO4 is the most suitable host material and its further investigation under different initial concentrations of manganese is currently underway.\ud \ud [1] T.C. Brunold, H.U. Güdel, Inorg. Chem. 36, 1946 (1997).\ud [2] D. Ehrentraut, M. Pollnau, Appl. Phys. B 75, 59 (2002).\ud [3] T.C. Brunold, H.U. Güdel, Chem. Phys. Lett. 249, 77 (1996)

Optical spectroscopy of rare-earth ions doped KY(WO4)2 thin films

KY(WO4)2 thin films doped with Dy3+, Tb3+, Yb3+, were grown onto KY(WO4)2 substrates using liquid-phase epitaxy. Spectroscopic investigations of the grown layers were performed. Obtained results were compared with spectra given for bulk crystals. Upconversion experiments after direct Yb3+ excitation in Dy3+-Yb3+ and Tb3+-Yb3+ codoped layers will be also presented

Liquid phase epitaxy and optical investigation of KYb(WO4)2 thin layers

In recent years, Yb3+ has attracted much attention as an activating ion because of its small quantum defect for laser emission from 2F5/2 to 2F7/2 at ~1.03 µm [1], which provides high efficiency and reduced heat generation. Of high practical interest is the thin-disk laser concept [2], which possesses a tremendous advantage over rod lasers because of its axial-cooling approach and consequent weak thermal lensing and good beam quality.\ud A promising material for Yb3+ thin-disk lasers is KYb(WO4)2 (KYbW) [3]. It can be grown from high-temperature solutions [4]. Nevertheless, the growth of high-quality, single-crystalline layers with thickness in the range of the absorption length of ~13 µm at 981 nm has as yet not been reported. A suitable substrate material is KY(WO4)2 (KYW), but the relatively large differences in the thermal expansion coefficients between KYW and KYbW along the [100], [001], and especially [010] directions [5] favor low temperatures for the hetero-epitaxial growth.\ud For the first time, we demonstrate liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) of KYbW layers. The layers were grown at start temperatures as low as 520°C, which is favorable in order to decrease the thermal stresses due to the differences in the thermal expansion coefficients of substrate and layer. Moreover, the choice of [010]-oriented substrates bypasses the large difference in the thermal expansion coefficient along the [010] direction. KY1-xYbx(WO4)2 layers with varying x = 0.03-1.00 were grown by LPE. The chloride solvent consisted of the eutectic composition [6] 24.4 mol.% KCl, 30.4 mol.% NaCl, and 42.2 mol.% CsCl. The growth temperature spanned the range from 580 to 500°C and the cooling rate was 0.67-1.00 Kh-1. Crack-free, transparent KYbW layers were grown on (010) substrates.\ud Spectroscopic investigations have shown that the lifetime of ~250 µs measured in our LPE-grown KYbW layers is dominated by radiative decay and is very similar to that measured in top-seeded-solution-grown bulk samples [4]. Fast energy migration among the Yb3+ ions and energy transfer to small amounts of Tm3+ and Er3+ ions present in the YbCl3 reagent lead to visible upconversion luminescence in the layers under 981-nm excitation.\ud \ud [1] T.Y. Fan, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 29, 1457 (1993).\ud [2] A. Giesen, H. Hügel, A. Voss, K. Wittig, U. Brauch, H. Opower, Appl. Phys. B 58, 365 (1994).\ud [3] P. Klopp, U. Griebner, V. Petrov, X. Mateos, M.A. Bursukova, M.C. Pujol, R. Solé, J. Gavaldà, M. Aguiló, F. Güell, J. Massons, T. Kirilov, F. Díaz, Appl. Phys. B 74, 185 (2002).\ud [4] M.C. Pujol, M.A. Bursukova, F. Güell, X. Mateos, R. Solé, J. Gavaldà, M. Aguiló, J. Massons, F. Díaz, P. Klopp, U. Griebner, V. Petrov, Phys. Rev. B 65, 165121 (2002).\ud [5] M.C. Pujol, X. Mateos, R. Solé, J. Massons, J. Gavaldà, F. Díaz, M. Aguiló, Mater. Sci. Forum 378-381, 710 (2001).\ud [6] D. Ehrentraut, M. Pollnau, S. Kück, Appl. Phys. B 75, 59 (2002)

Liquid phase epitaxy and spectroscopic investigation of optically active KYb(WO4)2 thin layers

In recent years, Yb3+ has attracted much attention as an activating ion because of its small quantum defect for laser emission from 2F5/2 to 2F7/2 at ~1.03 µm, which provides high efficiency and reduced heat generation. A promising material for Yb3+ lasers is KYb(WO4)2 (KYbW) [1]. It can be grown from high-temperature solutions [2]. A suitable substrate material for the growth of single-crystalline layers with thicknesses in the range of the absorption length of ~13 µm at 981 nm is KY(WO4)2 (KYW).\ud We demonstrate the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) of KYbW layers at start temperatures as low as 520°C from the chloride solvent KCl-NaCl-CsCl. This temperature is favorable in order to decrease the thermal stresses due to the differences in the thermal expansion coefficients of substrate and layer. Moreover, the choice of [010]-oriented KYW substrates bypasses the large difference in the thermal expansion coefficient along the [010] direction. Our spectroscopic investigations show that the fluorescence lifetime of ~250 µs measured in our LPE-grown KYbW layers is dominated by radiative decay and is very similar to that measured in top-seeded-solution-grown bulk samples [2]. Fast energy migration among the Yb3+ ions and energy transfer to small amounts of Tm3+ and Er3+ ions present in the YbCl3 reagent lead to visible upconversion luminescence in the layers under 981-nm excitation.\ud \ud [1] P. Klopp, U. Griebner, V. Petrov, X. Mateos, M.A. Bursukova, M.C. Pujol, R. Solé, J. Gavaldà, M. Aguiló, F. Güell, J. Massons, T. Kirilov, F. Díaz, Appl. Phys. B 2002, 74, 185\ud [2] M.C. Pujol, M.A. Bursukova, F. Güell, X. Mateos, R. Solé, J. Gavaldà, M. Aguiló, J. Massons, F. Díaz, P. Klopp, U. Griebner, V. Petrov, Phys. Rev. B 2002, 65, 16512

Influence of external factors on dielectric permittivity of Rochelle salt: humidity, annealing, stresses, electric field

The present work contains results of experimental investigation of external factors, such as dessicating/wetting, thermal annealing, uniaxial and hydrostatic pressures on dielectric permittivity of Rochelle salt crystals. The obtained results are compared with available literature data. A conslusion is made that the dispersion of experimental data can be attributed to internal polar point defects in crystals and to influence of storage conditions. The obtained results are analyzed within the phenomenological Landau approach

The social aspects of regional development in conditions of economic crisis

У статті обґрунтовано головні пріоритети соціальної політики в Україні. Досліджено можливості поєднання фінансової стабілізації, виходу з економічної кризи та умов економічного зростання із заходами соціальної політики в актуальних українських реаліях. Узагальнено показники та проаналізовано поточний соціально-економічний стан Карпатського регіону, який, значною мірою, є наслідком нечіткої державної регіональної соціально-економічної політики. Запропоновано механізми стратегічного розвитку туристичної галузі, що буде сприяти підвищенню зайнятості населення, розвитку ринкових відносин, міжнародному співробітництву.В статье обоснованы основные приоритеты социальной политики в Украине. Исследованы возможности сочетания финансовой стабилизации, выхода из экономического кризиса и условий экономического роста с мерами социальной политики в актуальных украинских реалиях. Обобщены показатели и проанализировано текущее социально-экономическое положение Карпатского региона, что в значительной степени, является следствием нечеткой государственной региональной социально-экономической политики. Предложены механизмы стратегического развития туристической отрасли, которая будет способствовать повышению занятости населения, развитию рыночных отношений, международному сотрудничеству.The main priorities of social policy in Ukraine are substantiated in the article. The possibilities of a combination of financial stabilization, recovery from the economic crisis and the conditions for economic growth with social policies in the current Ukrainian realities are investigated. The indicators and analyzed the current socioeconomic situation of the Carpathian region, which is largely a consequence of fuzzy state regional social and economic policy are summarized. The mechanisms of the strategic development of the tourism industry, which will help increase employment, development of market relations, international cooperation are proposed

The variation of the magnetic field of the Ap star HD~50169 over its 29 year rotation period

Context. The Ap stars that rotate extremely slowly, with periods of decades to centuries, represent one of the keys to the understanding of the processes leading to the differentiation of stellar rotation. Aims. We characterise the variations of the magnetic field of the Ap star HD 50169 and derive constraints about its structure. Methods. We combine published measurements of the mean longitudinal field of HD 50169 with new determinations of this field moment from circular spectropolarimetry obtained at the 6-m telescope BTA of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. For the mean magnetic field modulus , literature data are complemented by the analysis of ESO spectra, both newly acquired and from the archive. Radial velocities are also obtained from these spectra. Results. We present the first determination of the rotation period of HD 50169, Prot = (29.04+/-0.82) y. HD 50169 is currently the longest-period Ap star for which magnetic field measurements have been obtained over more than a full cycle. The variation curves of both and have a significant degree of anharmonicity, and there is a definite phase shift between their respective extrema. We confirm that HD 50169 is a wide spectroscopic binary, refine its orbital elements, and suggest that the secondary is probably a dwarf star of spectral type M. Conclusions. The shapes and mutual phase shifts of the derived magnetic variation curves unquestionably indicate that the magnetic field of HD 50169 is not symmetric about an axis passing through its centre. Overall, HD 50169 appears similar to the bulk of the long-period Ap stars.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&