Synthesis and Greatly Enhanced Fluorescence Emission of Transparent Nd-doped Y₃Sc_xAl_5−xO₁₂ Ceramics

Nd-doped Y₃Sc_xAl_5−xO₁₂(Nd:YSAG) powder were prepared with a chemical combustion method. The powders were nano-sized and had a pure cubic phase when calcined at 900 °C. Transparent Nd:YSAG ceramics with up to 40% scandium substitution for aluminum were successfully fabricated by sintering the powder compact at 1800 °C under H₂ atmosphere. The synthesis process and optical properties were investigated in detail. It was found that the light emission intensity at 1064 nm of the Nd:YSAG with 40% scandium substitution for aluminum can be enhanced by 2–3 times over that of Nd:YAG single crystal when pumped with the same 808-nm diode laser. In addition, the material was found to have prolonged fluorescence lifetime. This highly enhanced light emission intensity is fundamentally important for obtaining higher light output together with suppressed self-heating than Nd:YAG ceramic and single crystals.