Abstract Large-size neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) single crystals were grown by the Czochralski method. The extinction ratio and wavefront distortion of the crystal were tested to determine the optical homogeneity. Moreover, under different growth conditions, the macro defects of inclusion, striations, and cracking in the as-grown Nd:YAG crystals were analyzed. Specifically, the inclusion defects were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The stresses of growth striations and cracking were studied via a parallel plane polariscope. These results demonstrate that improper growth parameters and temperature fields can enhance defects significantly. Thus, by adjusting the growth parameters and optimizing the thermal environment, high-optical-quality Nd:YAG crystals with a diameter of 80 mm and a total length of 400 mm have been obtained successfully.

中文翻译：

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大尺寸Nd:YAG激光晶体生长技术及宏观缺陷研究

摘要 采用直拉法生长了大尺寸掺钕钇铝石榴石（Nd:YAG）单晶。测试晶体的消光比和波前畸变以确定光学均匀性。此外，在不同的生长条件下，分析了生长的 Nd:YAG 晶体中的夹杂物、条纹和裂纹等宏观缺陷。具体而言，使用扫描电子显微镜和能量色散光谱表征夹杂物缺陷。通过平行平面偏光镜研究了生长条纹和裂纹的应力。这些结果表明，不当的生长参数和温度场会显着增加缺陷。因此，通过调整生长参数和优化热环境，高光学质量的 Nd：