Structural, spectroscopi c and laser properties of transparent Tm:YScO3 ceramic based on gas-phase synthesized nanoparticles

Year: 2024

Authors: Maksimov RN., Toci G., Pirri A., Shitov VA., Sani E., Santonocito A., Patrizi B., Becucci M., Vannini M., Osipov VV.

Autors Affiliation: Inst Electrophys UrB RAS, Amundsen St 106, Ekaterinburg 620016, Russia; Ural Fed Univ named first President Russia BN Yelt, Mira Str 19, Ekaterinburg 620002, Russia; CNR Consiglio Nazl Ric, Ist Nazl Ott, INO, Via Madonna del Piano 10B, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy; CNR Consiglio Nazl Ric, Ist Fis Appl N Carrara, IFAC, Via Madonna del Piano 10C, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy; CNR, Ist Nazl Ott, INO, Largo E Fermi 6, I-50125 Florence, FI, Italy; Univ Pisa, Dipartimento Chim & Chim Ind, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 13, I-56124 Pisa, Italy; Univ Firenze, Dipartimento Chim U Schiff, Via Lastruccia 3-13, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy.

Abstract: Owing to the combination of good thermo-optical properties and inhomogeneously broadened fluorescence spectra suitable for ultrashort laser pulse generation, rare-earth doped solid solutions of sesquioxides (Y,Lu, Sc)2O3 have attracted considerable interest in recent years. In this study, compositionally disordered Tm3+-doped YScO3 transparent ceramic was fabricated using solid-state vacuum sintering of nanopowder produced using laser ablation of solid target in air flow. The as-synthesized powder consisted of weakly aggregated spherical particles having 20 nm diameter and a mostly monoclinic (space group C2/m) crystal structure, whose symmetry was transformed into cubic (space group Ia-3) by calcination at 1050 degrees C. From high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), we observed a homogeneous distribution of components both throughout individual nanoparticles and 100-nm-thick ceramic foil resulting in high structural and optical quality of the obtained samples. The sintered ceramic featured an optical transmission of 77% at 600 nm and above 81% near 2 mu m, an average grain size of 24.2 mu m and a content of scattering centers of 26.1 ppm. The absorption spectra at several temperatures, from 93 K to 293 K, were measured and the corresponding absorption coefficients were obtained by Lambert-Beer formula in the range from 600 nm to 900 nm and from 1400 nm to 2100 nm. In particular, the room temperature absorption cross section at 794 nm and 1634 nm were determined to be sigma abs = 4.25 x 10-21 cm2 and sigma abs = 5.01 x 10-21 cm2 respectively. Concerning the emission cross section it was calculated by Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg equation starting from the fluorescence spectrum acquired at the laser work temperature: at 1951 nm and 2106 nm corresponding to the main two emission peaks belonging the curve, it was found sigma em = 9.2 x 10-21 cm2 and sigma em = 4.9 x 10-21 cm2, respectively. Finally, it was tested the laser behavior of the ceramic: pumped at 793 nm in quasi-CW mode it delivered 1.27 W of output power with a slope efficiency of 10.33% at 2081 nm. The tunability curve spans from 1942 nm to 2110 nm (i.e. 168 nm).

Journal/Review: OPTICAL MATERIALS

Volume: 151      Pages from: 115309-1  to: 115309-13

More Information: This work was supported by the state task of IEP UrB RAS and the CNR project SAC. AD002.020.016. The thermal properties of ceramic were studied using the equipment of the Center for Collective Use of the North-Caucasus Federal University financially supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, unique project identifier RF-2296.61321X0029 (agreement No. 075-15-2021-687) . R. M. acknowledges the partial research funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Ural Federal University Program of Development within the Priority -2030 Program) .
KeyWords: Mixed sesquioxides; Laser ceramics; Gas -phase synthesis; Tm-doped sesquioxides
DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2024.115309

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