First laser operation and spectroscopic characterization of mixed garnet Yb:LuYAG ceramics

Year: 2016

Authors: Toci G., Pirri A., Li J., Xie T., Pan Y., Nikl M., Babin V., Beitlerova A., Vannini M.

Autors Affiliation: C.N.R. – National Research Council, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI) Italy;
C.N.R. – National Research Council, Istituto di Fisica Applicata “Nello Carrara” Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI) Italy;
Key Laboratory of Transparent and Opto-functional Advanced Inorganic Materials, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050, China;
Institute of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague 162 53, Czech Republic

Abstract: We present the optical and spectroscopic characterization and the first example of laser operation of Yb doped LuYAG ceramics, with two different compositions, namely (Lu0.25Y0.75)3Al5O12 and (Lu0.50Y0.50)3Al5O12, both with 15% Yb doping. Ceramic samples were prepared by reactive sintering from high purity α-Al2O3, Lu2O3, Y2O3, Yb2O3 powders using etraethoxysilane (TEOS) and MgO as sintering aids. After ball milling, the slurry was dried, uniaxially pressed into 20 mm diameter pellets at 20 MPa, and then cold isostatically pressed at 200 MPa. Sintering was conducted at 1850oC for 30 h under vacuum, followed by annealing in air (1500 oC, 10 h) to remove the oxygen vacancies. Laser tests were carried out in a laser cavity end pumped by a fiber coupled diode laser emitting at 936 nm. A slope efficiency as high as 65.2% with a maximum output power of 8.7 W (in quasi-CW pumping conditions) was obtained from the sample with composition (Lu0.25Y0.75)3Al5O12, whereas the sample with composition (Lu0.50Y0.50)3Al5O12 had a maximum slope efficiency of 49.5% (due to the higher scattering losses), and 6.7 W of maximum output power. Furthermore we characterized the tuning range of the two samples.

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More Information: National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61575212)
KeyWords: Ball milling; Ceramic materials; Efficiency; Garnets; Oxygen vacancies; Pumping (laser); Sintering; Solid state devices; Ytterbium, Fiber-coupled diode lasers; LuYAG; Maximum output power; Multicomponents; Reactive sintering; Spectroscopic characterization; Transparent ceramic; Yb laser, Solid state lasers


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