This article describes the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for following the concentration levels of silica used as a sintering agent in the fabrication of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) transparent ceramics.
Transparent ceramics are important optical materials with applications in street lighting, high-strength windows, electro- and magneto-optical isolators, high-power laser gain media and radiation detectors. Their fabrication most often relies on powder densification techniques carried out at high temperatures, sometimes promoted by sintering additives. In the reported project, the sensitivity limit of the protocol reaches a few tens of ppm of silica in YAG ceramic samples, showing that LIBS can be implemented reliably for the rapid assessment of sintering additives in advanced ceramic processing. (publisher abstract modified)