Developments in Ceramic Materials Research

In: Developments in Ceramic Materials Research ISBN 978-1-60021-770-8
Editor: Dena Rosslere, pp. 53-95 © 2007 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Chapter 3
OPTICAL FLUORIDE AND OXYSULFIDE CERAMICS:
PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION
T. T. Basiev 1 , V. A. Demidenko 2 , K. V. Dykel’skii 2 , P. P. Fedorov 1 ,
E. I. Gorokhova 2 , I. A. Mironov 2 , Yu. V. Orlovskii 1 , V. V. Osiko 1 ,
and A. N. Smirnov 2
1 Laser Materials and Technology Research Center, General Physics Institute RAS,
38 Vavilov Street, Bld. D, Moscow, 119991, Russia
2 Federal State Unitary Organization "Research and
Technological Institute of Optical Materials”
All-Russia Scientific Center "S.I. Vavilov State Optical Institute",
36-1, Babushkin Street, S.-Petersburg, 193171, Russia
ABSTRACT
Laser oxide ceramics (Y3Al5O12, Y2O3, etc. doped with Nd 3+ , Yb 3+ , etc.) is the most
serious innovation of last years in the field of laser materials.
However, the chapter summarizes new efforts of General Physics Institute of
Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow and State Optical Institute, S.-Petersburg for the
research and development of optical ceramics of two other classes of chemical
compounds: fluorides and oxysulfides.
The technique of preparation and results of study of a structure of ceramic samples
as well as its mechanical, thermal, optical and fluorescence properties is reported.
The analysis of development tendencies in modern photonics shows that recent
progress in the area relates substantially with the devices based on the fluoride optical
ceramics due to:
• wide spectral transparency window from 0.16 to 11 microns and low phonon
spectra preventing from strong fluorescence quenching by the multiphonon
relaxation of radiative transitions of impurity ions;
• long lifetimes of metastable levels;
• ease of high level doping of the ceramic host by rare-earth ions (up to 10 21 cm -3 );