Preparation and properties of Nd:YAG ultra-fine powders

Ultra-fine Nd:YAG powders with different doping concentrations were synthesized by sol-gel combustion method. The pure Nd:YAG could be prepared at the low temperature of 900 °C. Ethanol could improve the dispersity of powders, and the average size of the ultra-fine powders was around 250 nm. The reflection spectrum showed that there were several apparent characteristic absorption peaks and the intensity of these peaks enhanced with the increasing concentration of Nd3+. The luminescence spectrum, which was excited by 808 nm wavelength, exhibited several obvious emission bands in the range of 900-1150 nm. The emission intensity of Nd:YAG powders increased until the Nd content was above 3 mol.% due to the fluorescent quenching effect.