CONTEXT

Single crystal or thin layer of doped material made from cubic sesquioxide such as Y2O3, Sc2O3 or Li2O for example are choice materials for optical applications such as laser material.
Synthesis of large size single crystals (mm to cm) is hard to achieve due to their high melting point. Generally rods or disks are made in transparent ceramic forms.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

This invention, is an improvement of the invention described in reference 03144-01. The present invention relates to the improvement of an existing process by adding excess Li2O and/or B2O3 to the solution and/or applying a suitable thermal process and/or modification/improvement of the crystallization support for the synthesis of pure or doped rare earth sesquioxides.
The present invention includes:
–  the growth of pure rare earth sesquioxides
–  the use of the previously patented flux method with (or not) addition of Li2O and/or B2O3
–  the use of a novel specific crystallization support
–  the use of an improved specific thermal process.

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

Crystals with 5×5×2 mm3 size and optically free of inclusions can be obtained reproducibly.

BENEFITS

The well-developed technologies in industrial and academic R&D make possible to obtain these materials only in polycrystalline form. The techniques allowing to fabricate single crystals compounds of the R2O3 type are expensive and difficult to implement (very high temperatures and/or high pressures). Moreover the resulting crystals are of insufficient size and quality. The present patent makes possible to produce single crystals in the centimeter size range around 1100 ° C, at which temperature the materials necessary for the implementation of the process are cheap or considerably cheaper than those required at very high temperature.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

These crystals could be used for usual optical application such as laser materials but also as optical isolator or Faraday rotator.
Another application of the invention is to use them as growth substrate.

For further information, please contact us (Ref 03144-02)