Fabrication and magneto-optical property of yttria stabilized Tb2O3 transparent ceramics

Abstract (Tb0.5Y0.5)2O3 transparent ceramics have been prepared by wet chemical co-precipitation route and flowing H2 atmosphere sintering. The optical quality, microstructure and magneto-optical properties of the ceramics were investigated. No sintering aids or milling were adopted in the ceramic fabrication processing. The cold isostatic pressed green compact could be sintered to be transparent (Tb0.5Y0.5)2O3 ceramic at 1800 ℃ in flowing H2 atmosphere. The mechanical polished ceramic showed the good transmittance from visible to near infrared wavelength, corresponding to a 71.9% transmittance at 1400 nm wavelength. The Verdet constant measured at 632.8 nm of the (Tb0.5Y0.5)2O3 transparent ceramics was -220.19 rad T−1  m-1, which was 1.64 times that of Tb3Ga5O12 single crystal.