NanoEngineered Sesquioxides for Ceramic Laser Gain Media
- nGimat, LLC, Lexington, KY (United States)
During the Phase I portion of this SBIR effort, nGimat has met or exceeded all the technical objectives required to demonstrate the feasibility of using its NanoSpraySM Combustion process to produce high-quality Yb3+-doped sesquioxides (e.g., Y2O3, Lu2O3, and Sc2O3) for ceramic laser gain media applications. Prior to nanopowder manufacturing, a dedicated NanoSpray Combustion reactor had been retrofitted and upgraded to satisfy the high-purity requirements (> 99.5% purity in Phase I). At the end of Phase I, nGimat has successfully made, in a single synthesis run, 318 g of Yb:Y2O3 nanopowders that had already been sent to our collaborator, Raytheon, who performed further processing and relevant performance assessment. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of these as-made or calcined nanopowders had been thoroughly characterized in-house or externally. These promising findings achieved in Phase I strongly call for further research and development of Yb-doped nano-engineered sesquioxides as ultra-fast pulse ceramic laser gain media in the Phase II. The combined end results of the Phase I and potential Phase II efforts are that nGimat is quite likely to position itself as a leading supplier of high-quality ceramic laser gain materials through substantial technical achievements and strategic alliances developed with the U.S. communities of ceramic laser gain media. This will facilitate the development of new laser gain materials important to the DOE and U.S. laser materials community by making available affordable powder with user-defined properties such as host or dopant materials type, doping level, and particle size, and will also generate profitable revenue for nGimat’s product portfolio in the near future. Technical objectives that were achieved during Phase I include tailoring our NanoSpraySM Combustion apparatus for sesquioxide nanopowder production, demonstrating the feasibility of preparing high-purity Yb3+:Y2O3, Yb3+:Lu2O3, and Yb3+:Sc2O3 precursor solutions, and then forming nanopowders in a consistent, reliable, and low-cost way, achieving < 30 nm in mean particle size for Yb3+:Sc2O3, and achieving the production capability of 318 g of dry Yb3+:Y2O3 nanopowders (34.69 nm) in a few hours. Subcontractor processing (pressing and sintering into dense ceramic bodies) demonstrated near optical clear material with density of about 99.99%, well above the 99% Phase I objective, and optical measurements showing no impurity absorptions but well defined Yb absorption, and high transmission material being readily achievable in Phase II.
- Research Organization:
- nGimat, LLC, Lexington, KY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0015943
- OSTI ID:
- 1423133
- Type / Phase:
- SBIR (Phase I)
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-nGimat-15943
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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