Y3Al5O12 (YAG) single-crystal fibers doped with Erbium have been grown by means of the micro-pulling-down (mu-PD) technique and their structural and optical properties have been studied. The crystals were characterized by means of XRD, XRC, EPMA and spectroscopic analysis. Dopant uniformity was demonstrated and the spectroscopic features were compared to those of bulk crystals. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.