Fabrication and characterization of transparent ceramics for multiple applications

Abstract

Transparent ceramics have various use of applications such as laser, night vision, missiles, armor and so much more. It has caught in the eye of various researchers and industrial people since in the year of 1960. The properties of transparent ceramics keep improving with the effort of tweaking in process method, type of doping material and so on. If we compare the polycrystalline ceramic material with single crystal ceramic material, it demonstrates much stable in term of chemical and physical properties. Hence, doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) shows great tendency to use as solid-state laser particularly in the laser industry. For the various doping material for Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG), ytterbium (Yb3+) ions show the remarkable and bright properties especially in solid state laser materials. There are many factors that affects the properties of the materials and thus, leading into different application use. Example, doping concentration and type of materials are the reasons to affect the transparency. However, the dominant factor of achieving high optical transparency are the processing and fabrication methods. The main objective of my final year report is to focus on different doping concentration of ytterbium (Yb3+) (1at%, 3at%, 5at% and 10at%) to the host material of Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) whether will affect the optical transmittance. Characterization test like SEM and XRD were carried out to show the properties of this material which will can be seen further down my report. Of course, with the help of sintering additives like Magnesium Oxide (MgO) and Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS). Solid State reaction were carried out with the raw powder of Yb2O3, Al2O3 and Y2O3.