CAREER: Mechanism for Controlling Ionic Valences in Transition Metal Doped Laser Materials

该项目由国际科学与工程办公室和材料研究部陶瓷项目共同资助。非技术描述：该CAREER项目实现了对光电材料中缺陷的形成、稳定性和操纵的基本理解，以便更有效地合成具有定制特性的高质量激光材料。这条研究路线在新光学器件的开发中极其重要，但尚未得到充分的追求和理解。该项目是变革性的，因为它将为利用掺杂剂设计和合成具有新能力和功能的光学和光子材料开辟新途径。该研究对广泛的重要应用具有潜在影响，包括激光加工和制造、激光引发聚变能、激光通信、高能粒子和辐射探测、医学成像等。（陶瓷），以帮助学生获得国外的研究经验，主要是在亚洲国家，通过交流计划。这种经验为学生提供了研究活动的更全球化的视野。技术规格：这个CAREER项目的总体目标是解决与使用非价离子取代来控制激光和光电材料中掺杂剂离子的价态相关的基本材料科学问题。为了回答这些问题，正在开发对所选材料中阳离子缺陷和离子价态的形成、稳定性和操纵的透彻理解。具体而言，本项目的目的是研究掺杂剂离子的价态可以调整的机制，通过控制局部氧化或还原环境。局部环境的改变可以产生不同的电子和配位结构，这改变了材料中光学活性离子中心的行为。该项目应用模拟方法研究具有不同掺杂剂和/或掺杂剂组合的模型，以预测可能的光谱特性。电子显微镜用于检查不同材料中掺杂剂和空位的分布，并确定替代离子的位置;它们是否存在于晶格位置或在晶界处分离。这项工作带来了独特的机会，设计新的光学材料的应用在下一代设备，如陶瓷激光器和闪烁探测器。该项目还包括为学生提供专门的增强教育体验，培养未来几代光学和光子材料工程师。

This project is jointly funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Ceramics Program in the Division of Materials Research.NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This CAREER project achieves a fundamental understanding of the formation, stability, and manipulation of defects in optoelectronic materials in order to more effectively synthesize high-quality laser materials with tailored properties. This line of research is extremely important in the development of new optical devices, and has not yet been adequately pursued and understood. This project is transformative, as it will open new avenues for utilizing dopants to design and synthesize optical and photonic materials with new capabilities and functionalities. The research has potential impacts on a wide range of important applications, including laser machining and manufacturing, laser-sparked fusion energy, laser communications, high-energy particle and radiation detection, medical imaging, etc. The project has developed an educational program called Collaborative Exchange Research and Materials in Ceramic Sciences (CERAMICS) to help students gain research experience abroad, primarily in Asian countries, through an exchange program. This experience provides students with a more global view of research activities. TECHNICAL DETAILS: The overall objective of this CAREER project is to address the fundamental materials science questions associated with using off-valence ion substitution to control the valency of dopant ions in laser and optoelectronic materials. To answer these questions, a thorough understanding of the formation, stability, and manipulation of cation defects and ionic valencies in select materials is being developed. Specifically, the intention of this project is to study the mechanisms by which the valencies of dopant ions can be tuned, by controlling the local oxidizing or reducing environment. Modification of local environments can generate different electronic and coordination structures, which changes the behavior of the optically-active ion centers in a material. This project applies simulation methods to study models with different dopants and/or combinations of dopants to predict possible spectroscopic properties. Electron microscopy is used to examine the distribution of dopants and vacancies in different materials, and to determine the location of substitutional ions; whether they exist in lattice sites or are segregated at grain boundaries. This work brings about unique opportunities to design new optical materials for applications in next generation devices such as ceramic lasers and scintillation detectors. The project also includes a dedicated enhanced educational experience for students, which trains future generations of optical and photonic materials engineers.