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Materials with high thermo mechanical properties are required as laser media for high-powered lasers. One of such materials is lutetium-aluminum garnet (LuAG) doped with ytterbium. In the present work, we discuss for the first time a full comparative study of 5% Yb-doped LuYAG ceramics with variation Lu/Y ratio. Samples were prepared with addition of B2O3, MgO and SiO2 which were used as sintering aids. Grain sizes, shrinkage curves, lattice constants and transmission spectra were measured for all samples. Thermal conductivity was measured in a wide temperature range for all studied samples. Output power of 12 W and 60% slope efficiency were obtained on the 5% Yb:LuAG disk laser.

We produce composite ceramic laser elements Nd3+:YAG/Cr4+:YAG using two different methods, i.e., (1) layer-by-layer uniaxial pressing in a metallic mold with sequential addition of appropriate portions of the powder; (2) stacking and pressing of previously uniaxially pressed tablets in a cold isostatic press. In lasers where composite ceramic Nd3+:YAG/Cr4+:YAG elements are used together with longitudinal diode pumping, we obtain the lasing regime for both types of active elements at a wavelength of 1,064 nm in the Q-switch mode. Lasers with ceramic composites produced by stacking and cold isostatic pressing of the previously pressed tablets demonstrate a slope efficiency (~30–33%) even higher than lasers with crystalline saturable absorber (~21%). Lasers based on ceramic composites manufactured by layer-by-layer pressing of powders have an efficiency of ~11–19%. Composites made by stacking and cold isostatic pressing of the previously pressed tablets demonstrate a generation threshold close to those in lasers with crystalline saturable absorbers.

Main properties of ytterbium doped lutetiumyttrium aluminum garnet ceramics with different ratios of lutetium to yttrium substitution (x=0-1) and different levels of ytterbium doping (5-15%) are investigated.

The effect of sintering aids of SiO2, ZrO2, B2O3, and MgO oxides on the optimum sintering temperature, ceramics grain growth, total volume of residual pores, and optical quality of obtained ceramics is studied. The best combinations of sintering aids are found; as a result, YAG:Nd (1 at%) samples of ceramics of high optical quality are obtained. An original method for characterizing laser properties of ceramics is developed. Comparative measurements of main laser characteristics of the obtained ceramics and ceramics of the Konoshima Chemical Corp. Ltd wellknown in the world practice, are performed.

Transparent Cr4+:YAG ceramics with high optical quality was fabricated using solid state reactive sintering. The effect of CaO/MgO ratio on Cr3+ →Cr4+ conversion efficiency was studied. In samples with fixed total amount of divalent ions, Cr4+ conversion efficiency is growing with increasing of Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio. Samples were fully transparent after sintering at 1840 °C for 8 h and annealing in air at 1400 °C for 10 h. Some rather specific defects were observed, their nature investigated and model of forming proposed. Most probable nature of these defects is tungsten inclusions in ceramics sourced by tungsten vapors inside the vacuum furnace. This is far more pronounced with high calcium oxide presence in ceramic samples. The main saturable absorber characteristics were systematically measured.

SiO2, ZrO2, B2O3 and MgO oxides and their combinations were used as sintering aids for preparation of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) ceramics doped by Nd2O3, Er2O3, Ho2O3, Tm2O3 and Yb2O3. The influence of these additives on optimal sintering temperature, grain growth, volume of residual pores and optical quality of the ceramics were investigated. The best combination of the sintering additives was found and high quality samples of YAG:Nd (1 at.%) ceramics were obtained. The original method of laser optical quality characterization of ceramics was developed and tested. The main laser parameters of YAG:Nd (1 at.%) ceramics samples are measured and compared with the best well known laser ceramics. The samples of YAG:RE (RE- Er2O3, Ho2O3, Tm2O3 and Yb2O3) ceramics are obtained, and their optical transmittance spectra are measured. Composite structures of YAG:Yb (5 at.%) - YAG were obtained by the simplest method of successive joint compaction of different composition layers.