Dy-doped Y2O3 transparent ceramics as a mid-infrared laser medium and saturable absorber

Transparent Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramics with various doping concentrations were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Their optical characteristics, including emission cross-sections and nonlinear absorption properties, were evaluated. The results show that Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramics are promising as a new candidate for 3-μm laser gain medium and passive Q -switch material. A passive Q -switching of a 2795 nm Er:YAP laser with a Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramic saturable absorber was performed to demonstrate the potential of this material.