Synthesis of Nd ³⁺ ,Cr ³⁺ ‐codoped YAG Ceramics for High‐Efficiency Solid‐State Lasers

Abstract

Nd,Cr‐codoped transparent YAG (Y 3 Al 5 O 12 ) ceramics with excellent optical properties were fabricated by a solid‐state reaction method using Al 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , Nd 2 O 3 , and Cr 2 O 3 powders of 99.99 wt% purity. The mixed powder compacts were sintered at 1750°C for 20 h under vacuum and annealed at 1400°C for 20 h in an oxygen atmosphere. The Nd,Crcodoped YAG ceramics consisted of grain sizes ranging from 5 to 35 μm and exhibited a pore‐free structure. The optical transmittance of a 0.8 at.% Nd,0.4 at.% Cr: YAG ceramic at 1000 nm was nearly equivalent to that of a 0.8 at.% Nd: YAG single crystal. In addition, the fluorescence intensity of the 0.8 at.% Nd,0.4 at.% Cr: YAG ceramic excited by a xenon lamp was double that of the 0.8 at.% Nd:YAG single crystal.