Samarium Oxide Glaze

Developed for high-energy pulsed Q-switching infrared laser applications, a new, high-absorption samarium oxide glaze from Morgan Advanced Materials (Windsor, UK) means it is now able to offer three grades of glaze for laser systems. The samarium glaze absorbs radiation at the Nd-YAG lasing wavelength of 1064nm, and its further transitions near 940nm, 1120nm, 1320nm and 1440nm. A significant amount of fluorescent radiation at the lasing wavelength escapes laterally from the laser rod into the surrounding pumping cavity. Absorbing this radiation prevents it from being reflected back into the laser rod, which would in turn stimulate decay from the upper laser transition level, thereby limiting the number of excited ions which can occupy that level.

Applying the glaze to Morgan’s Sintox AL laser pump cavity material produces the high diffuse reflectivity required to achieve uniform illumination of the laser rod surface. Providing typically 98 per cent reflectance in the desired wavelength range, the new samarium oxide glaze matches yellow (GSY) and clear (GSO) glazes between 700nm and 900nm. The optimum reflectance capability across the range of three glazes now spans wavelengths of around 580nm up to 2,000nm.