Journal of Inorganic Materials, Volume. 39, Issue 9, 1029(2024)
Calcium fluoride (CaF2) crystals have good optical properties and chemical stability, and are often used as substrate materials in extreme edge optical window scenes. It is noteworthy that as one of the key properties of UV laser window materials, the radiation damage resistance of CaF2 crystal increases too fast due to the cleavage effect, and the actual damage threshold is much lower than the theoretical value, which cannot meet the needs of UV high-power laser devices, and is the main factor limiting its application in high-power UV lasers. In this study, material composition design was used to introduce Fi- by doping inert rare earth Y3+, and the cluster effect between Y3+ and Fi- was used to increase the bonding number between the cleavage planes, so as to enhance the interlayer bonding force, reduce the cleavage effect and raise the damage threshold. CaF2 crystals doped with Y3+ were prepared under the same condition by using a porous crucible, and their optical quality, mechanical properties and thermal properties of the doped CaF2 crystals were characterized and analyzed. The experimental results show that appropriate amount of Y3+ doping has little effect on the optical and thermal properties of CaF2 crystals, such as transmittance, thermal expansion coefficient and thermal conductivity, and does not affect the performance of CaF2 crystals. However, the influence on mechanical properties, such as shear strength, is relatively prominent. When the optimized doping concentration is 0.36% (in atom), the shear strength is increased by 68.4%, and the corresponding laser induced damage threshold of Y:CaF2 crystal is increased by 166%.
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Xu WANG, Xiang LI, Huamin KOU, Wei FANG, Qinghui WU, Liangbi SU.
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Received: Feb. 2, 2024
Accepted: --
Published Online: Dec. 13, 2024
The Author Email: LI Xiang (xiangli@usst.edu.cn), KOU Huamin (huaminkou@mail.sic.ac.cn)