Yttrium orthovanadate (YVO<sub>4</sub>) is a transparent crystal. Undoped YVO<sub>4</sub> is used to make efficient high-power polarizing prisms similar to Glan–Taylor prisms. With a chemical structure very similar to wakefieldite ([La,Ce,Nd,Y]VO<sub>4</sub>), it is also sometimes used as a synthetic gemstone since the former is prohibitively rare.
There are two principal applications for doped yttrium orthovanadate:
- Doped with neodymium it forms Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub>, an active laser medium used in diode-pumped solid-state lasers.
- Doped with europium it forms Eu:YVO<sub>4</sub>, the dominant red phosphor used in cathode-ray tubes especially in color TVs.
Basic properties
- Crystal structure:
- Density: 4.24 g/cm<sup>3</sup>
- Thermal expansion coefficient:
- α<sub>a</sub> = 4.43×10<sup>−6</sup>/K
- α<sub>c</sub> = 11.37×10<sup>−6</sup>/K
- Thermal conductivity coefficient: