High Transparency Nd: Y^sub 2^O^sub 3^ Ceramics Prepared with La^sub 2^O^sub 3^ and ZrO^sub 2^ Additives

High transparency Nd: ... ceramics were prepared by vacuum sintering with ... and ... sintering additives. The optimum in-line transmittance of the sintered Nd: ... is 80.98% at the wavelength of 1100 nm, for which the content of ... and ... are 10.0 and 3.0 at.%, respectively. This specimen demonstrates homogeneous microstructure with the average grain size of 8.3 ...m. The mechanism of sintering with ... and ... aids and the optical properties was discussed. The absorption, emission cross section, and fluorescence lifetime have been estimated as 1.62 x ... cm..., 5.13 x ... cm..., and 232 ...s, respectively. Vickers hardness and the fracture toughness were measured of 9.18 GPa and 1.03 Mpa-m1/2, respectively. All the results indicate that Nd: ... transparent ceramic is a promising candidate for laser material. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)