Dy-doped Y 2 O 3 transparent ceramics as a mid-infrared laser medium and saturable absorber

Transparent Dy:Y2O3 ceramics with various doping concentrations were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Their optical characteristics, including emission cross-sections and nonlinear absorption properties, were evaluated. The results show that Dy:Y2O3 ceramics are promising as a new candidate for 3-mu m laser gain medium and passive Q-switch material. A passive Q-switching of a 2795 nm Er:YAP laser with a Dy:Y2O3 ceramic saturable absorber was performed to demonstrate the potential of this material. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement