Radioluminescence emission of YAG:RE laser-sintered ceramics

A laser sintering technique was used to consistently and quickly sintering yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) ceramics doped with Ce3+, Tb3+, or Eu3+. The ceramic powders were synthesized by the polymeric precursor method presenting single crystalline phase after calcination at 1000°C for 6h. The ceramics were sintered by a laser sintering technique in which a CO2 laser is used as the main heating source. The laser-sintered ceramics presented high relative density (97%), low microstructural damage, and homogeneous grain size. The total processing time for YAG laser sintering was 11min, which is remarkably lower than conventional sintering process in electric furnace. The radioluminescence (RL) emission of doped laser-sintered YAG ceramics were determined and their RL spectra presented the characteristic emissions of the dopants. Unexpectedly, despite the low concentration of dopants used in this work, the main emission of Tb3+ (5D4–7F5) was presented at 595nm, in the green spectral region. •We present the first reports about YAG laser-sintered ceramics.•Total laser processing time was 11min, remarkably lower than conventional sintering.•The samples presented RL emission spectra characteristic of their dopants.•The main emission observed in YAG:Tb3+ was due to the 5D4→7F5 transition at 595nm.