Fundings : SPLENDID2 (ANR, 2020-2024 – coordination), FASTMIR (LABEX EMC3, 2014-2018 – coordination),
PhD and Post-doc involved : Liza Basyrova, M. Salhi
Collaborations : Xiamen University, CORIA Rouen, ORC Southampton, Hambourg University …
Fluorides are also studied in the form of thin films. These crystalline or amorphous active ion-doped layers are also designed to be used as gain media in lasers, amplifiers, thin disks or microcavities. They are grown by using different techniques, either in collaboration with other research teams or by using the liquid phase epitaxy technique (LPE) available in the team. In this technique, a substrate is introduced into a molten bath containing a solvent and a solute in a controlled atmosphere. The choice of the solvent and the corresponding phase diagram allow to grow the desired crystalline phase at a lower temperature than the usual Bridgman and Czochralski crystal growth techniques. This method was developed in the laboratory, and is now, to the best of our knowledge, the only experiment of this kind available in Europe. It allows a relatively fast growing of high optical grade single crystal layers with very low propagation losses. After the first results obtained over the last period on rare earth-doped YLF waveguides, the quality of the layers has been improved again and several new results have been reported especially in the mid-IR and in the Q-switch regime. Moreover, a new set-up allowing the epitaxially growth of CaF2 crystalline layers has been designed, built and developed, and the first waveguide laser results were already obtained.