Production and characterization of YAG:Pr3+ transparent ceramics

Yttrium aluminum garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG) crystals activated with Pr3+ have been proposed as scintillator [1] and solid state laser emitting in the UV and visible regions [2]. Transparent polycrystalline ceramics represent an interesting alternative to single crystals, because the ceramic process allows the production of components with structured compositions and large dimensions in a shorter time and at lower temperature [3,4]. Y3Al5O12 (YAG) ceramic doped with 1 at % Pr3+ has been prepared by vacuum sintering of spray dried commercial powders shaped by linear and cold isostatic pressing and characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. A thorough spectroscopic investigation has then been carried out. The absorption, excitation and emission spectra as well as the luminescence decay profiles have been measured in different experimental conditions, and the main processes responsible for the excited states dynamics have been identified and characterized on the basis of the analysis of the experimental results. The measured properties have been compared with the literature data on Pr3+:YAG single crystals in order to assess the effect of the morphology on the emission performance. The comparison with the properties of the single crystal reveals that the investigated material has interesting perspectives of applications in optics and photonics.