The optical spectroscopic properties of RE³⁺ (Nd, 1 at. % or Yb, 1 to 10 at. %)-doped calcium-lithium-niobium-gallium garnet (CLNGG) single crystals and ceramics in the 10 K–300 K range are analyzed. In these compositionally disordered materials, RE³⁺ substitute Ca²⁺ in dodecahedral sites and the charge compensation is accomplished by adjusting the proportion of Li⁺, Nb⁵⁺, and Ga³⁺ to the doping concentration. The crystals and ceramics show similar optical spectra, with broad and structured (especially at low temperatures) bands whose shape depends on temperature and doping concentration. At 10 K, the Nd^{3+ 4}I_9/2 → ⁴F_{3/2, 5/2} and Yb^{3+ 2}F_7/2 → ²F_5/2 absorption bands, which show prospect for diode laser pumping, can be decomposed in several lines that can be attributed to centers with large differences in the crystal field. The positions of these components are the same, but the relative intensity depends on the doping concentration and two main centers dominate the spectra. Non-selective excitation evidences broad emission bands, of prospect for short-pulse laser emission, whereas the selective excitation reveals the particular emission spectra of the various centers. The modeling reveals that the nonequivalent centers correspond to RE³⁺ ions with different cationic combinations in the nearest octahedral and tetrahedral coordination spheres, and the most abundant two centers have 4Nb and, respectively, 3Nb1Li in the nearest octahedral sphere. At 300 K, the spectral resolution is lost. It is then inferred that the observed optical bands are envelopes of the spectra of various structural centers, whose resolution is determined by the relative contribution of the temperature-dependent homogeneous broadening and the effects of crystal field disordering (multicenter structure, inhomogeneous broadening). The relevance of spectroscopic properties for selection of pumping conditions and of laser design that would enable utilization of the broad optical bands for efficient laser emission and reduced heat generation is discussed.

Systematic high resolution spectral investigations of trivalent holmium doped in ${\text{Sc}}_2{\text{O}}_3$ polycrystalline transparent ceramic were performed. The spectral characteristics (Stark energy levels, absorption, and emission cross sections) as well as the Judd–Ofelt (JO) intensity parameters ${\Omega }_t\left(t=2,4,6\right)$ for the $f\text{-}f$ transitions of the $C_2$ -symmetry center of ${\text{Ho}}^{3+}$ in ${\text{Sc}}_2{\text{O}}_3$ transparent ceramics were determined. The JO intensity parameters are used to estimate the emission probabilities, radiative lifetimes, and branching ratios of the different ${\text{Ho}}^{3+}$ transitions. The emission gain cross section for the ${{}^{5}I}_7\to {{}^{5}I}_8$ and ${{}^{5}I}_6\to {{}^{5}I}_8$ transitions of special interest for laser application were determined.

Spectroscopic properties and self-frequency-doubling laser performance are presented for $\mathrm{Yb}\text{:}{\mathrm{YCa}}_4\mathrm{O}{({\mathrm{BO}}_3)}_3$ (Yb:YCOB) crystals oriented for type I second-harmonic generation in the $ZX$ plane. In a plane-concave cavity 10 cm long, up to 330 mW of green light (544.5 nm) is obtained for 14.7 W of laser diode incident pump power. Broad emission bands and weak anisotropy in the 1060–1100 nm range between the two eigenstates of polarization may explain the instability of the self-frequency-doubled output power.