Structure and optical properties of Sn4+ doped Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 transparent ceramics

Sn4+ doped Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (BMN) transparent ceramics were synthesized by a solid state reaction. Sn4+ doping changes the crystal structure from hexagonal symmetry to cubic symmetry without birefringence and improves the microstructure. The tilting of oxygen octahedra caused by Sn4+ doping influences the A–O and B–O bond characters. The optical transmittance of the transparent ceramic sintered at 1550 °C for 48 h in oxygen atmosphere was 53%. A high refractive index of 2.09–2.22 was achieved in the wavelength range of 400 to 1000 nm. Effective ultraviolet absorption was also obtained when the cut-on wavelength shifted to the edge of the visible region. The optical properties meet the miniaturization requirement for optical functional elements.