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

这项小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目建议合成和固结用于光学窗口应用的纳米晶Y3铝石榴石(YAG)粉末。光学窗口材料必须满足极端的使用要求，因为它们控制着激光/光学设备的光束效率和功率输出特性。单晶YAG具有优异的光机性能，是理想的激光光学材料。它在200到1200 nm(从紫外线到近红外)和2.5到6.0微米(红外)的波长范围内是光学透明的。遗憾的是，由于单晶的高熔点(1970oC)，生产成本高，技术难度大。一种经济上可行的替代方案是使用细粒多晶粉末来制备透明的YAG陶瓷。纳米材料领域为从多晶粉制备光学透明材料提供了极好的机会，具有与单晶相似的光学机械性能。多晶石榴石作为窗口材料的使用将显著降低窗口成本，从而彻底改变激光产业。透明激光晶体在激光和光学行业有着广泛的应用。它可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/能量计、工业编码交钥匙激光系统、3D光学表面测绘、微机械加工、激光多普勒风速仪和成像光谱仪的窗口。成本较低的激光系统将得到更多的应用，特别是在需要光学隔离的带有激光二极管的个人计算机、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.