Effect of vacuum sintering conditions on the properties of Y3Al5O12 : Ce luminescent ceramics

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the effect of vacuum sintering conditions and cerium concentration on the optical, luminescent and thermal properties of yttrium-aluminum garnet based ceramics doped with Се3+ cations. Series of ceramic powders were synthesized and samples of luminescent ceramics having the composition Y3-хСехAl5O12 were synthesized where x was in the range 0.01 to 0.025 f.u. We show that the phase composition and grain size distribution of the ceramic powders do not depend on cerium concentration. Without sintering additives, an increase in vacuum sintering temperature from 1675 to 1800 °C leads to an increase in the optical transmittance of luminescent ceramic specimens from 5 to 55% at a 540 nm wavelength and an increase in the thermal conductivity of the samples from 8.4 to 9.5 W/(m ∙ K). It was found that an increase in cerium concentration leads to a shift of the luminescent band peak from 535 to 545 nm where as the width of the luminescent band decreases with an increase in vacuum sintering temperature from 1675 to 1725 °C.

Silver nanoparticles as a new sintering additive for the fabrication of YAG:Ce optical luminescent ceramics

“…Because all ceramic samples varied in transparency, the luminescence intensity was measured using an integrating sphere 36 . Pronounced photoluminescence was observed upon excitation by a laser with a wavelength of 450 nm for all YAG:Ce ceramic samples.…”