Multifunctional optical thermometry based on the stark sublevels of Er3+ in CaO-Y2O3: Yb3+/Er3+

A conventional high temperature solid state method was utilized to prepare CaO-Y₂O₃, which is a potential candidate for manufacturing crucible material to melt titanium and titanium alloys with low cost. Meanwhile, Yb³⁺ ions and Er³⁺ ions were selected as the sensitizers and activators respectively to dope into CaO-Y₂O₃, aimed at providing real-time optical thermometry during the preparation process of titanium alloys realized using fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technology. The results reveal that a high measurement precision can be acquired by using the Stark sublevels of Er^{3+ 4}F_9/2 to measure the temperature with a maximum absolute error of only about 3 K. In addition, by analyzing the dependence of ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2 transition on pump power of 980 nm excitation wavelength, it was found that the laser-induced thermal effect has almost no influence on the temperature measurement conducted by using the FIR of the Stark sublevels of Er^{3+ 4}I_13/2, which means that a high excitation pump power can be used to obtain strong NIR emission and good signal-to-noise ratio for optical thermometry without the influence of the laser-induced thermal effect. All the results reveal that CaO-Y₂O₃: Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ is an excellent temperature sensing material with high measurement precision.     

Dual-activator luminescence of LuAG:Mn4+/Tb3+ phosphor for optical thermometry

Mn⁴⁺ and Tb³⁺ singly doped and Mn⁴⁺/Tb³⁺ codoped lutetium aluminum garnet (Lu₃Al₅O₁₂, or simply LuAG) phosphors were synthesized and investigated for the application of optical thermometry. X-ray powder diffraction and luminescence spectroscopy measurements were performed on all samples to analyze their crystal phases and optical properties. In particular, temperature-dependent luminescence of the LuAG:Mn⁴⁺/Tb³⁺ sample was measured at the temperature range of 270–420 K. The results showed that the luminescence intensity of Mn⁴⁺ has gone through a remarkable decline while the luminescence of Tb³⁺ has an only insignificant change with the rise of temperature which leads to a dramatic decrease in the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) between the two activator Mn⁴⁺ and Tb³⁺. Further analysis showed that the LuAG:Mn⁴⁺/Tb³⁺ sample used for temperature sensing has a high relative sensitivity with maximum value of 4.3% K⁻¹ at 333 K. Our research indicated that this LuAG:Mn⁴⁺/Tb³⁺ material is a promising candidate for FIR-type optical temperature sensing.     

Influence of Cr3+ on yellowish-green UC emission and energy transfer of Er3+/Cr3+/Yb3+ tri-doped zinc silicate glasses

In this paper, we study the influence of Cr³⁺ on yellowish-green upconversion (UC) emission and the energy transfer (ET) of Er³⁺/Cr³⁺/Yb³⁺ tri-doped in SiO₂–ZnO–Na₂O–La₂O₃ (SZNL) zinc silicate glasses under excitation of the 980 nm laser diode (LD). The influence of Cr³⁺ on enhancing the red UC emission of Er³⁺/Cr³⁺/Yb³⁺ tri-doped in SiO₂–ZnO–Na₂O–La₂O₃ zinc silicate glasses under the excitation of 980nm LD was also investigated. The ET processes between Yb³⁺, Cr^3+, and Er³⁺, together with the combination of Yb³⁺-Cr³⁺-Er³⁺, which led to the green UC emission intensity of Er³⁺/Cr³⁺/Yb³⁺ tri-doped in SiO₂–ZnO–Na₂O–La₂O₃ zinc silicate glasses bands centered at ~546 nm have been significantly enhanced. By increasing the concentration of Cr³⁺ from 0 up to 5 mol.%, we can locate the Commission Internationale de l'éclairage (CIE) 1931 (x; y) chromaticity coordinates for UC emissions of Er³⁺/Cr³⁺/Yb³⁺ tri-doped in the central position of the yellowish-green color region of CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram. Besides, the ET processes between the Yb³⁺, Cr³⁺, and Er³⁺ are also proposed and discussed.     

Morphology control and temperature sensing properties of micro-rods NaLa(WO4)2:Yb3+,Er3+ phosphors

Uniform spindle-like micro-rods NaLa(WO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ phosphors are prepared by the solvothermal method in the text. Controllable morphology of NaLa(WO₄)₂ crystal can be obtained by adjusting the prepared temperature, PH value, complexing agent content, and solvent ratio. Uniform NaLa(WO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ micro-rods of 1.8 μm in length and 0.5 μm in width are synthesized at a low temperature of 120°C. The prepared NaLa(WO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ phosphors present green upconversion luminescence under 980 nm excitation, luminescence intensity reaches to maximum at the Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ concentration of 6 and 2 mol%. The temperature performance of the NaLa(WO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ phosphors are evaluated based on thermal coupling technology. Temperature dependence of the two green emissions ratio of Er³⁺ ion is obtained, and the sensitivity of the sample can be calculated, the maximum sensitivity of NaLa(WO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺ is up to 0.019 K⁻¹ at the sample temperature of 564 K.     

Near infrared light-induced photocurrent in NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+/WO2.72 composite film

Spectral conversion technology based on NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ upconversion nanoparticles was extensively used to improve photovoltaic conversion efficiency of solar cells. However, the response mismatch between absorption of semiconductors and upconversion luminescence (UCL) limits the application of spectral conversion technology. Nonstoichiometric WO_2.72 nanoparticles display the broad absorption from visible to near-infrared region due to the presence of oxygen vacancy, which is overlapped with the UCL of NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanoparticles. Thus, the combination between NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanoparticles, and nonstoichiometric WO_2.72 provides a possibility for designing a novel UCL spectral converted solar cells. In this work, composite film consisted of NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanoparticles, and WO_2.72 nanofibers was prepared. The UCL of NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺/WO_2.72 film was decreased in contrast to pure NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanoparticles due to energy transfer from NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanoparticles to WO_2.72 nanofibers. The NaYF₄:Yb³⁺, E³⁺/WO_2.72film exhibits the photocurrent generation upon the 980 nm excitation. This novel UCL spectral converted solar cells based on the broad absorption of defects in the WO_2.72 host will provide a novel view for photovoltaic devices.     

Dual-mode optical thermometry based on Bi3+/Eu3+ co-activated BaGd2O4 phosphor with high sensitivity and signal discriminability

A series of BaGd₂O₄:Bi³⁺,Eu³⁺ phosphors with dual-emitting centers were prepared by high-temperature solid-state method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), fluorescence spectroscopy, lifetime decay curve and variable temperature emission spectroscopy were used to systematically study the structure, luminescence performance and temperature characteristics. Under ultraviolet (UV) excitation, the BaGd₂O₄:Bi³⁺,Eu³⁺ phosphor showed a broad-band emission in the blue region corresponding to transitions of Bi³⁺ ions and the sharp red light emission corresponding to Eu³⁺ ions. The Bi³⁺ and Eu³⁺ ion emission peaks were well-separated, which meets a prerequisite for efficient temperature signal resolution measurement. The fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique was used to measure the different temperature response characteristics between Bi³⁺ blue emission and Eu³⁺ red emission. When the temperature varies from 293 K to 473 K, the relative temperature sensitivity (S_r) of BaGd₂O₄:Bi³⁺,Eu³⁺ phosphors is obtained, was determined as 1.0182%K⁻¹. In addition to calculating the relative sensitivity by FIR technology, we can also obtain the value of S_r through experiments and formulas related to the decay life, and found to be 1.0651%K⁻¹. Therefore, BaGd₂O₄: Bi³⁺,Eu³⁺ phosphor is an excellent non-contact optical temperature measurement material.     

Enhanced up-conversion luminescence and optical thermometry characteristics of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped Sr10(PO4)6O transparent glass-ceramics

In this paper, the Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ co-doped parent glass (PG) with composition (in mol%) of 30P₂O₅-10B₂O₃-38SrO-22K₂O and transparent glass-ceramics (GCs) containing hexagonal Sr₁₀(PO₄)₆O nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized for the first time by melt-quenching method and subsequent heating treatment in air. Under 980 nm laser prompting, the GCs samples showed intense red and green up-conversion emissions compared to those characteristics for the PG sample. The emission intensities varied with Er³⁺ concentration and heat treatment conditions. Furthermore, in Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ co-doped GCs specimens, the optical thermometry was researched by means of fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) of ⁴S_3/2 and ²H_11/2 levels. The GC sample heated at 620°C for 5 hours possessed a high relative temperature sensitivity (S_r) of 0.769% K⁻¹ at 303 K and the maximal absolute temperature sensitivity (S_a) of 5.951 × 10⁻³ K⁻¹ at 663 K, respectively. It is expected that the as-fabricated GC materials with Sr₁₀(PO₄)₆O NCs are promising efficient up-conversion materials for optical temperature sensor.     

Near/mid‐infrared emission and energy transfer of Er/Tm‐Yb co‐doped β‐NaYF4 microcrystals

The well‐formed high quality β‐NaYF₄:Er³⁺/Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺ microcrystals with near/mid‐infrared (NIR/MIR) emission are synthesized by the solvothermal method. Obvious 1.4 μm, 1.8 μm emissions, and 1.5 μm emission are observed in as‐prepared β‐NaYF₄:Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺ and β‐NaYF₄:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ microcrystals, respectively. To obtain MIR emission, the as‐prepared β‐NaYF₄:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ microcrystals are heat‐treated at different temperature schedule and atmosphere, it demonstrates there is great effect on the morphology and crystal structure when heat‐treated at different temperature, while little effect under different heat‐treated atmosphere. Subsequently, after heat‐treatment at 575°C in air, owing to the efficient elimination of internal defects and partly surface hydroxyl/citrate groups, an obvious 2.7 μm MIR emission is successfully detected in heat‐treated β‐NaYF₄:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ microcrystals for the first time.     

Synthesis and up-conversion of Er3+ and Yb3+ Co-doped LiY(MoO4)2@SiO2 for optical thermometry applications

Non-contact temperature sensors based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) have been widely investigated owing to their high sensitivity and reliable real-time monitoring. Herein, the SiO₂-coated LiY(MoO₄)₂@SiO₂:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ phosphor was investigated as an optical thermometry material, which was synthesized using the conventional solid state reaction and coated by a facile wet chemical route. The effect of surface modification on FIR was systematically characterized by structural analyses and spectral measurements and the temperature-dependent up-conversion FIR was investigated from 303 to 603 K under a 980 nm laser excitation. The results showed that the FIR value was thermally stable and the SiO₂ coating led to a higher FIR sensitivity as well as a higher saturation threshold. This work would pave a way to design interesting optical thermometry materials in up-conversion phosphors with better properties.     

Fabrication,microstructure, and optical properties of Yb:Y3ScAl4O12 transparent ceramics with different doping levels

Transparent Yb:Y₃ScAl₄O₁₂ (Yb:YSAG) ceramics with different ytterbium doping concentrations such as 5, 10, 15, 20 at.% have been successfully fabricated by solid-state reactive sintering. All the obtained ceramics are in dense and homogeneous structure after sintering at 1820°C for 30 hours and with a posttreatment by hot isostatic pressing at 1750°C for 3 hours with 200 MPa pressure. We systematically analyzed the influence of Yb³⁺ doping concentration on the microstructure and optical properties of the ceramics. The 10 at.% Yb:Y₃ScAl₄O₁₂ ceramics with a thickness of 3.2 mm show the best transparency as high as 80.9% at 1100 nm. The laser emission of the 10 at.% Yb:YSAG ceramics was tested, resulting in a maximum slope efficiency of 67.6% and a maximum output power of 11.3 W under quasi-continuous wave pump conditions. The tuning range spanned from 990 to 1071 nm.     

Up-conversion luminescence and optical thermometry properties of transparent glass ceramics containing CaF2:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocrystals

A series of Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ codoped transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics with various amounts of Yb³⁺ have been successfully fabricated and characterized. Under 980 nm laser prompting, the samples produce intense red, green and blue up-conversion emissions, and the emission intensities increase with Yb³⁺ concentration and heat treatment temperature. Before losing good transparency in the visible region, optimum emission intensities are obtained for the sample with 25 mol% of Yb³⁺ at a heat treatment temperature of 680 °C. A possible up-conversion mechanism is proposed from the dependence of emission intensities on pumping power. The fluorescence intensity ratio between the two thermally coupled levels ²H_11/2 versus ⁴S_3/2 was measured with the laser output power of 57 mW to avoid the possible laser induced heating effect. The fluorescence intensity ratio values in the temperature range from 295 K to 723 K can be well fitted with the equation: A exp (−∆E/k_BT), where A = 6.79 and ∆E=876 cm⁻¹. The relative temperature sensitivity at 300 K was evaluated to be 1.4% K⁻¹. All the results suggest that the Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ codoped CaF₂ glass ceramics is an efficient up-conversion material with potential in optical fiber temperature sensing.     

Effect of B2O3 addition on structure and properties of Yb3+/Al3+/B3+-co-doped silica glasses

The homogeneous Yb³⁺/Al³⁺/B³⁺-co-doped silica glasses were prepared via a sol-gel method. The impact of B₂O₃ addition on the physical and optical properties and network structure was systematically studied. The network structure was investigated by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectra, and Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR). Herein, B₂O₃ addition can continuously decrease the refractive index and density. When B₂O₃ is lower than 2 mol%, B₂O₃ addition can obviously decrease the scalar crystal field parameters, Yb³⁺ asymmetry degree, Yb³⁺ cross-sections, due to the generation of Yb–O–B bonds at the cost of partial Yb–O–Al/Si ones. When B₂O₃ is more than 2 mol%, FT-IR, Raman spectra, and SSNMR results indicate that further increased B atoms prefer to connect with Si and Al rather than Yb. Consequently, the above parameters are basically unchanged. Based on the results, an intuitive model of structure and properties evolution during the substitution of SiO₂ by B₂O₃ has been established.     

Improved photoluminescence and multi-mode optical thermometry of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped (Ba,Sr)3Lu4O9 phosphors

Contactless optical thermometers have attracted extensive attentions for applications in scientific research and technological fields due to their apparent advantages. Herein, a novel sequence of Ba_3-xSr_xLu₄O₉ (B_3-xS_xLO):Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ phosphors were successfully prepared to investigate the temperature sensing property. By establishing energy transfer from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ and regulating the local lattice environment, up-conversion luminescence of Er³⁺ is dramatically improved when excited by 980 nm laser. This can effectively promote signal-noise ratio and reduce the errors in temperature detection. Furthermore, a multi-mode optical thermometry, which includes the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) from two thermally coupled levels of ²H_11/2/⁴S_3/2, FIR based on non-thermally coupled system of ²H_11/2/⁴F_9/2 and fluorescence lifetime of ⁴S_3/2 state of Er³⁺, was explored systematically. The fabricated samples exhibit the superior temperature measurement performances containing wide temperature-sensing range, superior signal discriminability, high sensitivity and favorable repeatability, indicative of the enormous utilization prospects of B_3-xS_xLO:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ for thermometry.     

Two micrometer fluorescence emission and energy transfer in Yb3+/Ho3+ co-doped lead silicate glass

Enhanced 2.0 μm and visible up-conversion emissions from Ho³⁺ via Yb³⁺ sensitization in lead silicate glasses have been obtained under the excitation of 980-nm laser diode. The possible energy transfer mechanism has been analyzed based on the photoemission spectroscopy and lifetime measurement. The lifetime of Ho³⁺: ⁵I₇ laser upper level has also been measured. Based on the absorption spectra, Judd–Ofelt parameters, spontaneous emission probability, the absorption, emission cross sections, and gain coefficients have been calculated and analyzed. The results indicate that the Yb³⁺/Ho³⁺ co-doped lead silicate glass has potential application in mid-infrared wavelengths.     

Abnormal upconversion luminescence induced by defects and Er3+–Yb3+ distance change in Cs3GdGe3O9:Er3+/Yb3+ phosphors

A series of Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ co-doped Cs₃GdGe₃O₉ (CGG) phosphors were prepared by solid-phase sintering method, and the microstructure and upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties were tested by variable-temperature X-ray diffractometry and variable-temperature spectrometer. Abnormal UCL phenomena were found, which include UCL intensity continuously increasing under 980 nm laser continuous irradiation and UCL thermal enhancement. After 10 min of continuous irradiation by 980 nm laser at 513 K, the UCL intensity increased 2.91 times compared with the initial UCL intensity. The phenomenon is due to the electron releasing of host defects. The green UCL intensity of CGG:0.1Er³⁺/0.2Yb³⁺ decreases at 303–423 K and increases at 423–723 K, which reaches 13.23 times compared with that at 423 K. The phenomenon is due to Er³⁺–Yb³⁺ distance change by temperature and phonon-assisted transitions. In addition, the absolute temperature sensitivities of samples are calculated by luminescence intensity ratio technology, the maximum absolute sensitivity of CGG:0.1Er³⁺/0.4Yb³⁺ is 0.00691 K⁻¹ at 546 K, and the maximum relative sensitivity of CGG:0.1Er³⁺/0.1Yb³⁺ is 0.01224 K⁻¹ at 303 K. These results indicate that CGG:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ phosphors can be used as a high-temperature optical thermometer.     

Thermally enhanced near-infrared luminescence in CaSc2O4: Yb3+/Nd3+ nanorods for temperature sensing and photothermal conversion

Non-invasive photothermal therapy (PTT) is proposed as a powerful method for cancer treatment, in which a precise temperature monitoring is strongly recommended during the photothermal conversion process to prevent the damage of normal cells. Herein, ultra-sensitive optical thermometry with excellent resolution and outstanding light-to-heat conversion are simultaneously realized in CaSc₂O₄: Yb³⁺/Nd³⁺ nanorods. The temperature sensing of the nanorods is accomplished through fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technology based on the thermally coupled levels (TCLs) Nd³⁺: ⁴F_j (j = 7/2, 5/2, 3/2), of which the obtained absolute sensitivity is about 6.5 times larger than the optimal value of TCLs-based thermometers reported previously. Meanwhile, an intense thermal enhancement of Nd³⁺: ⁴F_j (j = 7/2, 5/2, 3/2) → ⁴I_9/2 transition is found due to the efficiency improvement of phonon-assisted energy transfer process between Yb³⁺ ions and Nd³⁺ ions. The penetrability of the near-infrared light emitting by Nd³⁺ ions is determined by a simple ex vivo experiment, indicating a penetration depth of 8 mm in the biological tissues with negligible effect on FIR values. Beyond that, the nanorods show remarkable photothermal conversion capacity under the excitation of 980 nm wavelength. The properties mentioned above show enormous potentiality of the present nanorods for PTT along with a real-time temperature sensing.     

Fabrication of high-efficiency Yb:Y2O3 laser ceramics without photodarkening

High-efficiency Yb:Y₂O₃ laser ceramics were fabricated using the vacuum-sintering plus hot isostatic pressing (HIP) without sintering additives. High-purity well-dispersed nanocrystalline Yb:Y₂O₃ powder was synthesized using a modified co-precipitation method in-house. The green bodies were first vacuum sintered at a temperature as low as 1430°C and then HIPed at 1450°C. Finally, the samples were air annealed at 800°C for 10 h. Although no sintering aids were used, full density of the samples with excellent optical homogeneity and an inline transmission of 80% at 400 nm could be obtained. Moreover, photodarkening phenomenon was not detected in the ceramics. Preliminary laser experiment with the fabricated ceramics in a two-mirror cavity has demonstrated 32 W continuous-wave (CW) output at ∼1077 nm with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 58.2%. To the best of our knowledge, this is so far the highest CW output power and optical-to-optical conversion efficiency achieved with the Yb³⁺-doped sesquioxide ceramics in a simple two-mirror cavity.     

NaSr2Nb5O15:Yb3+, Ho3+, Tm3+ transparent glass ceramics: Up-conversion optical thermometry and energy storage property

Rare earth tri-doped precursor glasses (PGs) were prepared by traditional high-temperature melting method, and NaSr₂Nb₅O₁₅ transparent glass–ceramic (GC) was obtained by subsequent heat treatment. Results exhibit that the up-conversion emission intensity of GC is greatly enhanced compared to PG. Benefiting from the multiple emission bands from Ho³⁺ and Tm³⁺ and their different temperature dependence, multi-ratio optical temperature measurement is realized. The ultimate relative sensitivity (S_r-max) can reach 2.00% K⁻¹ between 298 and 598 K. It provides a possibility for self-reference temperature measurement. Furthermore, under the actual charging and discharge conditions, the GC heated at 750°C has great energy density (W_d = 1.15 J/cm³@600 kV/cm) and high-power density (P_d = 290.4 MW/cm³@600 kV/cm) with ultrafast discharge time (<15.8 ns). The previous results indicate that the obtained GC with good multifunctional properties is expected to be applied in the field of photoelectric conversion.     

Effects of Gd3+ substitution on the structure,photoluminescence, scintillation,and thermometric features of Pr3+:Lu2Zr2O7 phosphors

In this study, it is shown how the photoluminescence, scintillation, and optical thermometric properties are managed via the introduction of Gd³⁺ ions into Pr³⁺:Lu₂Zr₂O₇. Raman spectra validate that partial replacement of Lu³⁺ with Gd³⁺ can promote the phase transition of Lu₂Zr₂O₇ host from the defective fluorite structure to the ordered pyrochlore one. Upon 289 nm excitation, all the samples emit the 483 (³P₀ → ³H₄), 581 (¹D₂ → ³H₄), 611 (³P₀ → ³H₆), 636 (³P₀ → ³F₂), and 714 nm (³P₀ → ³F₄) emissions from Pr³⁺ ions, which are enhanced with the addition of Gd³⁺ ions due to the modification of crystal structure. Dissimilarly, the X-ray excited luminescence spectra consist of a strong emission located at 314 nm from Gd³⁺ ions (⁶P_7/2 → ⁸S_7/2), together with the typical emissions from Pr³⁺ ions, which exhibit different dependences on the Gd³⁺ concentration. When the luminescence intensity ratio between the ³P₀ → ³H₆ (611 nm) and ¹D₂ → ³H₄ (581 nm) transitions is selected for temperature sensing, Pr³⁺:(Lu_0.75Gd_0.25)₂Zr₂O₇ shows the optimal relative sensing sensitivity of 0.78% K⁻¹ at 303 K, which is higher than that of the Gd³⁺-free sample. Therefore, the developed Pr³⁺:(Lu, Gd)₂Zr₂O₇ phosphors have the applicative potential for optical thermometry, X-ray detection, and photodynamic therapy.     

Microstructure and properties characterization of Yb:Lu2O3 transparent ceramics from co-precipitated nano-powders

5at.% Yb:Lu2O3 transparent ceramics were fabricated successfully by vacuum sintering along with hot isostatic pressing posttreatment from the nanopowders. The influences of calcination temperature on morphology and microstructures of powders and ceramics were studied systematically. The optimal ceramic sample from the nanopowder calcined at 1050°C shows uniform and dense microstructure with the in-line transmittance of 81.5% at 1100 nm. The results of the thermal measurements, that is, thermal conductivity and specific heat, were related to the changes occurring in the microstructure of the ceramics studied. It was shown on this basis that appropriate control of the technological process of sintering ceramics makes it possible to obtain laser ceramics with very good thermal properties as well as maintaining their high optical quality. Concerning the laser performance, the highest-optical quality 5at.% Yb:Lu₂O₃ sample was pumped in quasi-continuous wave conditions measuring a maximum output power of 2.59 W with a corresponding slope efficiency of 32.4%.