Fabrication of Nd:Lu2.7Gd0.3Al5O12 transparent ceramics by solid-state reactive sintering

摘要

Transparent 1.0 at% Nd:Lu2.7Gd0.3Al5O12 (Nd:LuGdAG) ceramics were fabricated by the solid-state reactive sintering method using commercial powders as starting materials. The powders were mixed in ethanol with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and MgO, dried and pressed. The compacts were vacuum-sintered from 1725 degrees C to 1800 degrees C for observing the microstructure and the optical transmittance of Nd:Lu2.7Gd0.3Al5O12 (c)eramics. The sample sintered at 1800 degrees C for 10 h has an almost dense and homogenous structure with the average grain size of 12.8 mu m, whose in -line transmittance is about 70% at 1064 nm. The absorption and emission cross sections were calculated to be 1.0 x 10(-2)0 cm(2) and 1.23 x 10(-18) cm(2), respectively. It is proved that Nd:LuGdAG ceramics have the potential to be a new solid-state laser material. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.