Influence of dopant concentration on the transparent and thermal properties of Nd_2O_3-doped alumina translucent ceramics

The transparent and thermal developments of high-purity Al_2O_3 doped with different levels of Nd_2O_3 were investigated. Dopant levels ranged from 500–1500 ppm（Nd/Al atomic ratio）. The samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, Raman spectroscopy, transmittance spectroscopy and specific heat measurement. Results revealed that with proper Nd doped, Nd~（3＋） ions solid dissolved in Al_2O_3 lattice, resulting in small and uniform grain and high bonding vibration, which was beneficial to transparent and thermal properties. With 1000 ppm Nd doped, Al_2O_3 translucent ceramics showed a total transmittance of 89% and thermal conductivity of 41.7 W/m/K, indicating a potential application as substrate for effective heat dissipation and multi emitting surface in LEDs module.