Sintering And Properties Of YAG Transparent Ceramics And YAG-ZrO₂ Ceramics

Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) is a cubic crystal system structure, has excellent mechanical performance and optical performance, it is widely used in solid laser material. The formation of rare earth doped YAG transparent ceramics that is rare earth ions can replace Y3+of YAG crystal lattice, it can overcome disadvantages of the preparation process and some properties of YAG crystals, it is a very excellent laser dielectric materials.In this work, the Nd:YAG (lat%、3at%、5at%)、Pr:YAG and Sm:YAG transparent ceramics were prepared by solid reaction method and vacuum sintering. The rare earth doped YAG transparent ceramics were characterized of the calcination temperature, particle morphology, the transmittance of transparent ceramics, microstructure, density, hardness and other properties. On synthesis of 3Y-TZP/YAG compound phase ceramic, the influence of different doping ratio and calcination temperature on the density of the duplex ceramic, shrinkage rate, density, microstructure and crystalline phase and mechanical properties.1、The YAG ceramic precursor powers transform into YAG phase after calcination at 1500℃ for 3h, it is not the existence of impurity phase and the mesophase, and uniform particles. Preparation of different doping concentration of Nd:YAG ceramics powder, 1at%Nd:YAG powder diffraction strongest peak, it have showed excellent sintering activity and high crystallinity. Fabrication of 1at% Nd:YAG transparent ceramics by vacuum sintering at 1800℃ for 20h have highest density, maximum hardness, and high optical transmittance is straight through rate is as high as 78.70% at 1064 nm.2、Fabrication of 1at% Nd:YAG, Pr:YAG and Sm:YAG transparent ceramics by vacuum sintering at 1800℃ for 20h density is high, has the very good mechanical properties, the vickers hardness respectively is 1354.5 MPa,1340.1 MPa and 1202.8 MPa. YAG transparent ceramics showed very good optical transmittance, it all can see the writing on the paper, line through rate of 78.70%,53.80% and 50.55%, respectively.3、Fabrication of 3Y-TZP/YAG ceramics by sintering at 1500℃ for 3h has a very high density, shrinkage rate and mechanical properties. The ceramics with a little content of YAG can improve the mechanical properties. When add 2% YAG, three-point bending strength of ceramics up to 328.9MPa. When add 4% YAG, Vickers hardness of ceramics up to 1382.2MPa. The effect of on the low temperature aging of 3Y-TZP ceramics was obviously inhibited by the addition of YAG.