SBIR Phase I: Transparent Nanocrystalline Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) Ceramics

本小型企业创新研究（SBIR）一期项目，拟合成并巩固用于光学窗口应用的钇铝石榴石（YAG）纳米晶粉末。光学窗材料控制着激光/光学器件的光束有效性和功率输出特性，因此必须满足极端的使用要求。单晶YAG具有优异的光力学性能，是激光光学的理想材料。在波长200 ~ 1200nm（从紫外到近红外）和2.5 ~ 6.0um（红外）范围内是透明的。不幸的是，由于YAG的熔点很高（1970℃），单晶YAG的生产成本很高，技术上也很困难。一种经济可行的替代方法是使用细粒多晶粉末制造透明YAG陶瓷。纳米材料领域为从多晶粉末中制造光学透明材料提供了极好的机会，这些材料具有与单晶相似的光机械性能。使用多晶YAG作为窗口材料将通过显著降低窗口成本来彻底改变激光工业。透明YAG在激光和光学工业中有许多应用。它可以用作高性能激光模块、波前分析系统、光束准直测试仪、光谱仪、激光功率/能量表、工业交钥匙激光编码系统、3D光学表面测绘、微加工、激光多普勒风速表和成像光谱仪的窗口。低成本的激光系统将有更多的应用，特别是在需要光学隔离的带有激光二极管的个人计算机cd - rom、激光打印机和调制解调器中。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project, proposes to synthesize and consolidate nanocrystalline powders of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) for optical window applications. Optical window materials must meet extreme service requirements because they control the beam effectiveness and power output characteristics of laser/optical devices. Single crystal YAG is an ideal material for laser optics because of its excellent opto-mechanical properties. It is optically transparent in the wavelength region 200 to1200 nm (from ultraviolet to near-infrared) and from 2.5 to 6.0um (infrared). Unfortunately, single crystal YAG is costly and technically difficult to produce because of its high melting point (1970oC). One economically viable alternative is to fabricate transparent YAG ceramics using fine-grained polycrystalline powders. The field of nanomaterials offers excellent opportunities to fabricate optically transparent materials from polycrystalline powder, with opto-mechanical properties similar to single crystals.The use of polycrystalline YAG as a window material will revolutionize the laser industry by significantly reducing window cost. Transparent YAG has many applications in the laser and optics industries. It can be used as a window in high performance laser modules, wavefront analysis systems, beam collimation testers, spectrometers, laser power/energy meters, industrial turnkey laser systems for coding, 3D optical surface mapping, micro-machining, laser Doppler anemometers and imaging spectrographs. Lower cost lasersystems will find more applications, especially in personal computers CD-ROMs with laser diodes, laser printers, and modems, which require optical isolation.