3D打印钇铝石榴石基激光陶瓷研究进展

Research Progress of 3D Printing Yttrium Aluminum Garnet-Based Laser Ceramics

先进固体激光器的发展方向是更高的输出功率和更优异的光束质量。稀土离子掺杂钇铝石榴石透明陶瓷是固体激光增益介质的优选材料,但泵浦过程中的热效应问题劣化光束质量,阻碍了输出功率进一步提升。复杂构型激光陶瓷泵浦时产热和散热更均匀,能够显著降低热效应。相比于传统制备方法,3D打印能够成型更复杂的设计结构,抑制热效应,并实现多模块器件的集成化和小型化,推动激光器走向更广泛的应用。本文首先介绍了复杂构型激光陶瓷的几种传统制备方法,并分析了优点和局限性。然后,系统综述了3D打印制备钇铝石榴石基激光陶瓷的研究现状和存在的问题。3D打印方法包括直接墨水书写、立体光刻、数字光处理、材料喷射打印、双光子聚合和微连续液体界面打印。其中,立体光刻和数字光处理成型的样品中存在层间缺陷,导致严重的散射损耗;材料喷射打印结合干压成型可用于制造平面波导;双光子聚合和微连续液体界面打印适用于在微米尺度上制造高度复杂的结构;直接墨水书写不仅首次实现了激光陶瓷的制备,相关研究也最为广泛,目前是制备复杂构型激光陶瓷最有前景的方法。最后,对3D打印制备钇铝石榴石基激光陶瓷目前存在的问题和研究前景进行了总结。

The development direction of advanced solid-state lasers is higher output power and better beam quality.Rare earth ion doped yttrium aluminum garnet transparent ceramics are preferred materials for solid-state laser gain media,but thermal effects during the pumping process deteriorate the beam quality and hinder further increase in output power.The heat generation and dissipation of laser ceramics with complex configurations are more uniform during the pumping process,which can significantly reduce thermal effects.Compared with traditional preparation methods,3D printing is able to form more complex design structures,suppress thermal effects,and achieve integration and miniaturisation of multi-module devices,driving lasers towards a wider range of applications.In this paper,several traditional methods for the preparation of laser ceramics with complex configurations are introduced firstly,and the advantages and limitations are analyzed.Then,the research status and problems in 3D printing yttrium aluminum garnet-based laser ceramics are systematically reviewed.Common 3D printing methods include direct ink writing,stereolithography,digital light processing,material jet printing,two-photon polymerization and micro-continuous liquid interface printing.Among them,there are interlayer defects in the samples printed by stereolithography and digital light processing,resulting in severe scattering losses.Material jetting printing combined with dry pressing can be used to manufacture planar waveguides.Two-photon polymerization and micro-continuous liquid interface printing are suitable for the fabrication of highly complex structures at micrometer scales.Direct ink writing not only enables the fabrication of laser ceramics for the first time,but also has the most extensive relevant research and is still the most promising method for the preparation of laser ceramics with complex configuration.At the end of this paper,the current problems and research prospects of yttrium aluminum garnet-based laser ceramics prepared by 3D printing are summarized.