New Ceramic Laser Hosts for High Power Lasers

Rare earth sesquioxide transparent ceramics doped with ytterbium are being developed for use in thin disk lasers due to their favorable thermal and optical properties. Nanocrystalline oxide powders are produced using liquid feed flame spray pyrolysis. Particular emphasis is placed on production of high purity powders that can be consolidated to without the formation of second phase scattering centers. Consolidation is accomplished using either wet or dry forming techniques, followed by sinter/HIP to achieve full density. Composite structure fabrication will be investigated. Characterization of optical, mechanical, and thermal properties will be performed. BENEFIT: The proposed work will bring a new class of materials to the table for the fabrication of thin disk lasers. The thermal conductivity, absorption cross section, and high optical efficiency possible in ytterbium doped systems combined with the high beam quality possible from a thin disk laser will provide high power generation from a small package for military and commercial laser applications.