Preparation of high optical quality LuAG:Ce transparent ceramics via digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing

Transparent luminescent ceramics have found widespread applications in laser lighting, solid-state lasers, nuclear medical imaging, and high-energy physics (HEP). However, traditional forming methods severely limit the cost-effective and easy fabrication of complex, designed structures. Therefore, we demonstrate and optimize the process for fabricating LuAG:Ce transparent ceramics with high optical quality via the DLP method, and investigate the effects of ceramic slurries with varying solid contents on optical properties and material microstructures. It is found that a solid loading of 78 wt% reduces defects in the green body after debinding, resulting in transparent ceramics with uniform grain sizes. Ultimately, high optical quality cerium-doped lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAG:Ce) transparent ceramics with a transmittance of 72.3 % at 550 nm are successfully fabricated using vacuum sintering-assisted digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing.