Effect of ZrO2 on the sinterability and spectral properties of (Yb0.05Y0.95)2O3 transparent ceramic

(Yb 0.05 Y 0.95 ) 2 O 3 transparent ceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering technique using high purity Y 2 O 3 powder as starting material and ZrO 2 as additive. The results indicated that the introduce of ZrO 2 can improve the transmittance of yttria ceramics greatly and the mechanism was also analyzed. 3.0 at.% ZrO 2 doped (Yb 0.05 Y 0.95 ) 2 O 3 transparent ceramics sintered at 1800 °C for 20 h had the optimum transmittance. The microstructure is uniform and no secondary phase is observed in the ceramics with the average grain size of 15 μm. The relative density is 99.68% and the transmittance in near-infrared band is as high as 83.7% (up to 98.5% of theoretical value). The spectroscopic properties of 3.0 at.% ZrO 2 doped (Yb 0.05 Y 0.95 ) 2 O 3 ceramics were also investigated. The absorption, emission cross-section and fluorescence lifetime have been estimated as 1.175 × 10 −20 , 1.767 × 10 −20 cm 2 and 0.93 ms, respectively. All the results indicate that Yb 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 transparent ceramic is promising laser material.