Properties of transparent Re3+: Y2O3 ceramics doped with tetravalent additives

• Transparent Re3+:Y2O3 ceramics with different tetravalent additives were obtained.
• Influence of doping on the properties of the obtained ceramics was investigated.
• Dispersed scattering volumes were found in Y2O3 ceramics with tetravalent additives.
• Maximum size of dispersed scattering volume was estimated at ⩽20 nm.

Neodymium or ytterbium-doped transparent yttrium oxide ceramics with different tetravalent sintering additives (ZrO2, HfO2, or CeO2) were fabricated from nanopowders produced by laser ablation method. Phase composition and distribution of dopants in the synthesized nanopowders and ceramics were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) spectroscopy. The tetravalent additives led to a decrease in grain size and an improvement in transmittance at the lasing wavelengths. However, an excess of tetravalent ions led to the formation of dispersed scattering volumes. We observed particles with modulated composition for nanopowder of Nd:Y2O3 doped by 10 mol% HfO2. The estimations based on Rayleigh light scattering showed that the maximum size of the dispersed scattering volume is below 20 nm.