Samarium Ions Doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet Glass Ceramics

Sm3+ doped YAG glass ceramics containing single phase of YAG micro-crystals have been obtained by heat-treating the aluminosilicate precursor glasses. The YAG crystals grow with several preferred orientations and a dominant one (444) in the matrix, and present microcrystal sizes in the range of 3 similar to 15 mu m. The pilotaxitic texture existed in internal network of the YAG glass ceramics can increase yield strength and tensile strength of the sample effectively. Typical visible transition emissions of Sm3+ have been observed in the YAG glass ceramics under the excitation of short-wavelength visible light, and the spectral intensity ratio between the electric dipole (4)G(5/2)-> H-6(9/2) and the magnetic dipole (4)G(5/2)-> H-6(5/2) transitions is lower than the values reported in the optical glasses specifying the enhanced symmetric nature in the Sm3+ doped YAG glass ceramics. The obvious Stark splitting exhibited in emission spectrum manifests that rare-earth ions have been incorporated into YAG lattices.