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Nd,Cr:GSGG crystal boules up to 13 cm in diameter and 20.5 cm long have been grown by the Czochralski method. Several problems with Nd,Cr:GSGG growth were identified, and solved separately but not all at once; these problems included spiral boule growth, 1- mu m absorption loss, iridium on the melt surface, iridium inclusions, boule cracking, dislocation, and fine scattering (smoke). In the grown crystals parameters relevant to their eventual use as gain elements for large slab lasers were measured including optical homogeneity, birefringence, absorption loss at 1 mu m, scattering loss, and iridium inclusions. The optical homogeneity of the boules is good, except for a radial gradient in refractive index of about 10/sup -5/ cm/sup -1/. The birefringence is low (>
Stokowski et al. (Wed,) studied this question.