Efficiency of Cr3+ → Cr4+ conversion in YSAG:Cr ceramics

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the influence of the position and quantitative content of scandium in YSAG:Cr on the efficiency of chromium cation valence conversion. YSAG:Cr ceramic powders were synthesized using the chemical precipitation method. It was determined that the microstructure of ceramics and the luminescent properties of YSAG:Cr4+ depend on the predominant position of scandium, whether it replaces octahedral or dodecahedral positions in the garnet crystal lattice. An increase in Scdod content contributed to a decrease in grain size and a shift of the emission peak of Cr4+ ions towards the short-wavelength region. Conversely, an increase in Scoct content led to an increase in grain size and a shift of the maximum of the luminescent band towards the long-wavelength region. It was found that increasing the quantitative content of scandium in the octahedral position in the garnet structure by up to 50 % enhances the efficiency of the conversion of Cr3+ to Cr4+, while an increase in the proportion of Scdod resulted in a decrease in conversion efficiency.