lutetium aluminum garnet ring

The last member of the rare earth family, lutetium, has an exceptionally small metallic radius and therefore is the least abundant. It is used in doped yttrium aluminum garnet crystals to create lasing processes that are not possible using naturally occurring yttrium.

Lutetium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (LuAG) is a highly stable and durable solid-state laser crystal that operates over a wide range of temperatures and conditions. It has a high melting point and is suitable for both passive and active Q-switching, allowing a range of laser wavelengths to be used.

LuAG also offers the advantages of a large Verdet constant, low optical losses and high thermal conductivity. It is widely used for a variety of laser applications, including diode pumped solid-state lasers and femtosecond lasers. It is also ideal for visible and infrared magnetic crystals, and is used in current and magnetic field sensors.

Neodymium doped yttrium aluminum gallium garnet (Nd:YAG) is the most commonly used yttrium-doped laser crystal. It has a very low lasing threshold and good thermal dissipation for operation at high power levels. It is a common choice for laser marking machines, cutting machines and laser therapy instruments, as well as beauty devices such as laser eyelash curlers.

Cerium doped lutetium aluminium garnet (Ce:LuAG) is an effective scintillator material with the advantages of high density, fast decay time, non-hygroscopicity and chemical stability. It can be machined into a variety of shapes and sizes including prisms, spheres and thin plates.