Highly efficient lasing and thermal properties of Tm:Y2O3 and Tm:(Y,Sc)2O3 ceramics

Abstract

We report on thermal, spectroscopic, and laser properties of transparent 5 at.% Tm3+-doped yttria and "mixed"yttria-scandia ceramics fabricated by vacuum sintering at 1750°C using nanoparticles produced by laser ablation. The solid-solution (Tm0.05Y0.698Sc0.252)2O3 ceramic features a broadband emission extending up to 2.3 μm (gain bandwidth, 167 nm) and high thermal conductivity of 4.48Wm-1 K-1. A Tm:Y2O3 ceramic laser generated 812mW at 2.05 μm with a slope efficiency η of 70.2%. For the Tm:(Y,Sc)2O3 ceramic, the output power was 523mW at 2.09 μm with η =44.7%. These results represent record-high slope efficiencies for any parent or "mixed"Tm3+-doped sesquioxide ceramics.