Study in Optical and Mechanical Properties of Nd3+, Y3+: SrF2 Transparent Ceramics Prepared by Hot-Pressing and Hot-Forming Techniques

Abstract

Nd3+, Y3+: SrF2 transparent ceramics were successfully synthesized by two methods: hot-forming and hot-pressing techniques. The mechanical properties and optical properties of the hot-formed Nd3+, Y3+: SrF2 transparent ceramics were much better than that of single crystal. On the other hand, the transmittance of the hot-formed transparent ceramics with different deformation rate reached up to 90% at 1054 nm, which is superior to the hot-pressed ceramics. Furthermore, the fracture toughness of hot-formed Nd3+, Y3+: SrF2 transparent ceramics with the deformation rate of 51% reached up to 0.70 MPa m1/2, which is nearly 1.5 times higher than that of as-grown single crystal. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the hot-formed ceramic is larger than that of the single crystal at 1053 nm under continuous-wave (CW) laser operation. The thermal conductivity of Nd3+, Y3+: SrF2 single crystal and hot-formed ceramics were also discussed.