Sol Freeze Dry Nd:YAG Nanopowder Synthesis and Sinterability Studies

Citrate nitrate sol freeze dry synthesis of 2 atomic % neodymium ion doped Yttrium Aluminium Oxide (Nd:YAG) nanopowders was explored for the first time. Sol was prepared by dissolving nitrates of Al3+, Y3+ and Nd3+ keeping molar ratio to be 5: 2.94: 0.06. Total metal ion to citric acid ratio was optimised at 1 is to 0.25. Sol was freeze dried at -80 °C for 48 h. Dried mass thus obtained was calcined at 1000 °C for 2 h to give phase pure Nd:YAG as characterised by FTIR and XRD. Particles were in the size range of 35 nm - 50 nm with close to spherical morphology as observed by TEM. Nanopowder was compacted and sintered at 1700 °C for 5 h under 10-6 mbar followed by hot isostatic press at 1750 °C for 4 h under 200 MPa, to give 71 per cent transmission at 1064 nm indicating synthesis of well sinterable Nd:YAG nanopowders

A novel comparative study of crystalline perfection and optical homogeneity in Nd:GGG crystals grown by the Czochralski technique with different crystal/melt interface shapes

Nd:GGG crystals (GGG is gadolinium gallium garnet) grown with different crystal/melt interface shapes (convex/flat/concave) by varying the seed rotation rate while using the Czochralski technique were studied for their optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection by optical polarization microscopy (OPM) and high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD), respectively. It was found that there is a remarkable effect of seed rotation rate, which decides the shape of the crystal/melt interface, on the optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection. It was found experimentally that, as the rotation rate increases, the crystal/melt interface changes from convex to flat. If the rate further increases the interface becomes concave. With a steep convex interface (for low rotation rates), certain facets are concentrated in the small central portion of the crystal, and as the rate increases, these facets slowly move outward, leading to improved optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection as observed from the OPM and HRXRD results. The strain developed in the crystalline matrix as a result of segregation of oxygen in the crystals at low seed rotation rates as observed from HRXRD seems to be the reason for the observed optical inhomogeneity. The correlation between optical inhomogeneity and crystalline perfection for a variety of specimens with different shapes of the crystal/liquid interface obtained at different seed rotation rates is reported

Crystal growth of Ru-doped congruent LiNbO3 and investigation of crystalline perfection and optical properties

Single crystals of undoped and Ru-doped congruent LiNbO3 (LN) were successfully grown by the Czochralski method. The axial and radial gradient of the radio frequency furnace was controlled in order to obtain crack-free single crystals. Wafers were cut from the grown Ru-doped single crystal at different axial positions along the growth direction and subjected to various characterization analyses. Good optical homogeneity and low residual strain in the grown crystal is confirmed by the conoscopy patterns. Further, it is confirmed that Ru doping does not influence the optical sign of the crystal. From a high-resolution X-ray diffractometry analysis, it is evident that the as-grown undoped LN crystal exhibited better crystalline perfection with a single and sharp diffraction curve in comparison to the Ru-doped crystals, which are characterized by a broader diffraction curve. Absorption coefficient and band-gap analysis across the axial length revealed a concentration variation of Ru across the length. Refractive index measurements carried out using a prism coupler showed variation in the optical birefringence, also due to the variation of Ru concentration at different positions of the grown single crystal