Synthesis of Optical Nd:(Y,Gd)2O3 Ceramics and Investigation of Its Spectroscopic Characteristics

Fabrication of optical ceramics based on solid solution of yttrium and gadolinium sesquioxides activated by Nd 3+ ions is considered. Nanopowder of (Nd 0.008 Y 0.496 Gd 0.496 ) 2 O 3 synthesized by laser ablation method was used as raw material. It was determined that laser-ablated nanoparticles initially have monoclinic phase, transformation of which into cubic phase starts at a temperature of 1100 °C and is fully completed at 1300°C. It was found that the best transparency of samples (79.9% at the wavelength of 1060 nm) and the lowest content of scattering centers of 2.7 ppm are reached by vacuum sintering of nanopowder previously calcined at 1000°C for 3 h. In the measured photoluminescence spectrum, a blue-shift of Nd 3+ emission bands in (Y,Gd) 2 O 3 matrix with respect to Y 2 O 3 was observed. Broadening of emission bands and their partial overlap was determined suggesting the change in the local environment of neodymium embedded into positions of yttrium and gadolinium.