Fabrication and optical properties of Y_2O_3-based ceramics with broad emission bandwidth

摘要

In this article, we report on the fabrication and optical properties of highly transparent yttria ceramics for lasers active media with broadband gain profile. Laser synthesis method was used to produce Y_2O_3-bascd nanopowders doped with 1 mol.% Nd~(3+) or Yb~(3+) for these transparent ceramics. The additives of sesquioxides Lu_2O_3 and Sc_2O_3 were used along with ZrO_2 to disorder the crystalline structure. The porosity and average grain size decrease with these additives and the emission bandwidths of Nd~(3+) (~4F_(3/2) -> ~4I_(11/2)) and Yb~(3+) (~2F_(5/2) -> ~2F_(7/2)) transitions widen to 40 and 60 nm, respectively. Laser operation with the slope efficiency of 29% was obtained in [(Yb_(0.01)Lu_(0.24)Y_(0.75))_2O_3]_(0.88)(ZrO_2)_(0.12) ceramic sample.