Enhanced optical properties and laser performance of Yb:LuScO3 transparent ceramics fabricated with ZrO(NO3)2

This work aims to fabricate the Yb:LuScO 3 sesquioxides transparent ceramics for use in ultrafast and ultrashort laser technology. 1 at.% Yb:LuScO 3 nanopowders were fabricated using the glycine-nitrate process. ZrO(NO 3 ) 2 was selected as the precursor of ZrO 2 which functions as a sintering aid. Yb:LuScO 3 transparent ceramics with different ZrO 2 content were fabricated by vacuum sintering at 1780 °C and HIPing at 1650 °C, among which the ceramic with 7 at.% ZrO 2 showed the highest transmittance, reaching 81 % at 2000 nm. The ceramic achieved a maximum output power of 1.5 W at 1038 nm with a slope efficiency of 34.8 % and tunable wavelength range exceeding 22 nm. The results demonstrated that Yb:LuScO 3 transparent ceramics can be considered as promising materials in 1 μm solid-state laser applications.