Laser sintering and radioluminescence emission of pure and doped Y2O3 ceramics

In this study, pure and Ca-, Mn-, and Zn-doped Y2O3 powders, synthesized by the polymeric precursor method, are sintered by a new laser sintering technique in which a CO2 laser, in continuous mode, is employed as the main heating source. The laser-sintered ceramics show a single crystalline phase and have high relative density (~98% Y2O3:Ca), with a homogeneous and crack-free microstructure. When excited with X-rays, the samples present identical radioluminescence (RL) emission spectra, with a band centered at 495 nm. This emission is thought due to the presence of self-trapped excitons (STE).