Fabrication of Nd3+:YAG laser ceramics with various approaches

The fabrication possibility of a highly transparent ceramics with various approaches was investigated. A difference of these approaches consists in transformations of Nd:Y2O3 and Al2O3 nanopowders into Nd:YAG: at a vacuum sintering (1), in a powder compact at annealing in air before vacuum sintering (2) and at calcination of nanopowders in air before them compaction (3). It is shown that the best characteristics realized in Nd:YAG ceramics prepared according to the third approach. Thus in ceramics there are no secondary phases, concentration of pores was 62.8 ppm and transmittance at the wavelength of λ = 1.06 μm − 83.28%. On such sample of ceramics lasing with the slope efficiency of 19.1% and full optical efficiency of 13.5% was received. Besides, with the third approach the highly transparent samples of Nd:YAG ceramics with 46 mm in diameter and 3 mm in thickness with a transmittance of 80.1% were successfully fabricated.

► Properties of ceramics depends on the way of transformation of oxides into Nd:YAG.
► Fabrication of Nd:YAG laser ceramics without additions of TEOS and MgO.
► Nanopowders produced with laser method for fabrication of transparent ceramics.
► Cathodoluminescence analysis for phase-transformations determination.