Ceramic Lasers

Until recently, ceramic materials were considered unsuitable for optics due to the numerous scattering sources, such as grain boundaries and residual pores. However, in the 1990s the technology to generate a coherent beam from ceramic materials was developed, and a highly efficient laser oscillation was realized. In the future, the technology derived from the development of the ceramic laser could be used to develop new functional passive and active optics. Co-authored by one of the pioneers of this field, the book describes the fabrication technology and theoretical characterization of ceramic material properties. It describes novel types of solid lasers and other optics using ceramic materials to demonstrate the application of ceramic gain media in the generation of coherent beams and light amplification. This is an invaluable guide for physicists, materials scientists and engineers working on laser ceramics.

1. Introduction; 2. Solid-state laser processes and active materials; 3. Fabrication techniques for laser materials; 4. Experimental techniques (powder characteristics and synthesis of optical grade ceramics, effects of sintering aids, etc.); 5. Synthesis of the doped polycrystalline cubic sesquioxide ceramics; 6. Synthesis of Re (Nd) heavily doped YAG ceramics; 7. Optical scattering center in polycrystalline ceramics; 8. Advanced technology in ceramic (composite, fiber, single crystal by sintering method, etc.); 9. Current R&D status of ceramic lasers world wide; 10. Conclusions and future in ceramic technology; 11. Mechanical and thermal properties of the laser ceramics; 12. High-resolution optical spectroscopy and emission decay of doped ceramics; 13. Emission processes in doped ceramics; 14. Ceramic photonic materials; 15. Laser emission of ceramic materials; Index.