Pure and rare-earth (Nd3+, Tm3+ and Er3+)-doped strontium tungstates of good optical quality with sizes of about 20 mm x 50 mm were grown successfully by the Czochralski technique. The (001) orientation was found to be the favorable direction for crystal growth. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) of pure strontium tungstate were measured. The concentrations of Nd3+, Tm3+ and Er3+ were measured and their segregation coefficients were also calculated. The absorption and emission spectra of rare-earth-doped crystals as a function of the sigma and pi polarizations were presented and discussed. Favorable values of the absorption cross section centered at about 800nm suggest that Nd3+ - and Tm3+ - doped strontium tungstates are promising candidates for laser diode (LD) pumping. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.