Using confocal Raman and fluorescence spectroscopic imaging in 3-dimensions, we show direct evidence for Nd3+-Nd3+ interactions across grain boundaries (GBs) in Nd3+:YAG laser ceramics. It is clearly shown that Nd3+ segregation takes place at GBs leading to self-fluorescence quenching which affects a volume fraction as high as 20%. In addition, we show a clear trend of increasing spatial inhomogeneities in Nd3+ concentration when the doping levels exceeds 3 at%, which is not detected by standard spectrometry techniques. These results could point the way to further improvements in what is already an impressive class of ceramic laser materials.
@article{arxiv.0803.3470,
title = {Three-Dimensional Grain Boundary Spectroscopy in Transparent High Power Ceramic Laser Materials},
author = {Mariola O. Ramirez and Jeffrey Wisdom and Haifeng Li and Yan Lin Aung and Joseph Stitt and Gary L. Messing and V. Dierolf and Zhiwen Liu and Akio Ikesue and Robert L. Byer and Venkatraman Gopalan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0803.3470},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
8 pages including Figures. submitted to Optics Express (Nov 07)