Fluorescence of Ti³⁺ ions thermally diffused into sapphire

The thermal diffusion of Ti3+ ions into sapphire is demonstrated and the spectroscopic characteristics of the locally-doped region are presented. The spectral lineshape, polarisation dependence and the excited-state lifetime of indiffused Ti:sapphire are in excellent agreement with previously published data for high quality, bulk doped Ti:sapphire laser crystals. An order of magnitude estimate of the diffusion coefficient at 1950°C is D = 10-14 m2 / s. These results represent a significant step in the development of a versatile broadly tunable waveguide laser based on the Ti3+:sapphire material system established for conventional bulk lasers