Effect of vacuum sintering conditions on the properties of Y3Al5O12 : Ce luminescent ceramics

The aim of this work was to study the effect of vacuum sintering conditions and cerium concentration on the optical, luminescent and thermal properties of yttrium-aluminum garnet based ceramics doped with Се 3+ cations. Series of ceramic powders were synthesized and samples of luminescent ceramics having the composition Y 3- х Се х Al 5 O 12 were synthesized where x was in the range 0.01 to 0.025 f.u. We show that the phase composition and grain size distribution of the ceramic powders do not depend on cerium concentration. Without sintering additives, an increase in vacuum sintering temperature from 1675 to 1800 °C leads to an increase in the optical transmittance of luminescent ceramic specimens from 5 to 55% at a 540 nm wavelength and an increase in the thermal conductivity of the samples from 8.4 to 9.5 W/(m ∙ K). It was found that an increase in cerium concentration leads to a shift of the luminescent band peak from 535 to 545 nm where as the width of the luminescent band decreases with an increase in vacuum sintering temperature from 1675 to 1725 °C.