Vacuum sintering of Yb2O3 transparent ceramics: Effect of ZrO2 concentration on structural and optical properties

• Highly transparent ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ) ceramics were successfully prepared by vacuum sintering method using ZrO 2 as a sintering aid. • ZrO 2 was found to be an effective sintering additive that can effectively inhibit Yb 2 O 3 grain growth and promote the removal of residual pores. • The effects of ZrO 2 doping concentration on the crystal structure, microstructure, optical transmittance, and band gap of Yb 2 O 3 transparent ceramics were studied for the first time. In this study, highly transparent Yb 2 O 3 ceramics were successfully fabricated via vacuum sintering at 1800 °C for 10 h with ZrO 2 as a sintering additive. The effect of zirconia doping concentration on crystal structure, microstructure, and optical properties of Yb 2 O 3 transparent ceramics was investigated. It was found that the introduction of zirconia could effectively prohibit grain growth while promoting the removal of residual pores. The mean grain size decreased from 39.04 µm to 4.27 µm as the Zr 4+ content increased from 0 to 5 at%. The 3 at% ZrO 2 -doped Yb 2 O 3 transparent ceramics have the best optical quality, with a transmittance of 75% at 1100 nm and about 81% in the mid-infrared region. This study indicates that Yb 2 O 3 transparent ceramics with good optical properties can be obtained by properly adjusting the addition amount of ZrO 2 . On this basis, the absorption spectra, emission spectra, and fluorescence lifetime of Yb 2 O 3 transparent ceramic were investigated. High transmittance and high activation cation density make Yb 2 O 3 transparent ceramics potential candidates for thin-disk laser elements.