Φ1 inch Dy3+ and Ge4+ co-doped bismuth silicate (Bi4Si3O12, BSO) single crystals with the length of 80–100 mm were successfully grown by Bridgman method. They are transparent, free of cracks and inclusions. The white residual at the top parts of BSO crystals disappears with co-doping 1 mol% Dy3+ and more than 3 mol% Ge4+. The FWHM values of X-ray rocking curves shows 1%Dy,3%Ge:BSO crystal possesses high crystallization quality. The intrinsic emission peak of BSO and the characteristic emission peaks of Dy3+ ions are weakened with increasing the doping concentration of Ge4+. 1 mol% Dy3+ and 3 mol% Ge4+ are the optimal concentrations due to high crystallization quality and moderate emission intensity. The CIE coordinates and CCT values shift towards warmer white light region with increased Ge4+ co-doping. The CCT values are close to the ideal value of 3000 K for warm white light when 1%Dy,3%Ge:BSO crystal is excited by various UV light. Increasing the temperature from 298 K to 573 K leads the luminescence lifetime to decrease from 659 μs to 645 μs. More than 95% and 80% photoluminescence intensity at room temperature is still retained at 423 K and 573 K respectively. Dy,Ge:BSO crystals are potential candidates for fabricating high power warm WLEDs.
A series of LiNbO3 crystals doped with various MgO concentrations (0, 3%, and 5 mol%) was simultaneously grown in one furnace by the modified vertical Bridgman method. The wet chemistry method was used to prepare the polycrystalline powders, and the growth conditions were optimized. The full width at half maximum of high-resolution X-ray rocking curves for (001) reflection of 5 mol% Mg doped lithium niobate (LN) crystal was about 8″, which meant it possessed high crystalline quality. The OH− absorption spectra shifted to 3534.7 cm−1, and the UV absorption edge violet shift indicated that 5 mol% MgO successfully doped in LN and exceeded the threshold. The extraordinary refractive index gradient of 5 mol% Mg doped LN crystal was as small as 2.5 × 10−5/cm, which exhibited high optical homogeneity.
(Dy0.7Y0.25La0.05)2O3 magneto-optical transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated by pressureless sintering in reductive H2 atmosphere (PLSH). The raw powder of (Dy0.7Y0.25La0.05)2O3 was synthesized by a modified self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and sintered to transparent ceramics at 1400–1600 °C in a flowing H2 atmosphere, showing good sinterability of the as-synthesized raw powder. The magneto-optical Verdet constant of (Dy0.7Y0.25La0.05)2O3 transparent ceramics was measured to be −191.57 rad/(T·m) at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. In this magneto-optical material of (Dy0.7Y0.25La0.05)2O3, relative cheaper Dy and Y were used to replace Tb, and the low cost and good magneto-optical property showed the advantage of application on Faraday isolators (FIs) and Faraday rotators (FRs).