Alfa Chemistry uses yttrium aluminum garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG), a durable synthetic material that belongs to the garnet group, to customize infrared optics devices. It has a similar transmission range and refractive index, but is easier to polish and does not exhibit birefringence. All of our custom YAG optics are rigorously tested by skilled experts at cutting-edge metrology facilities, giving our customers the peace of mind that their needs will be met. Contact us as soon as possible for customer service!
Our Services
Alfa Chemistry can provide customization services for a variety of YAG optics including windows, lenses and ground blanks. our optical customization options include uncoated and coated. A common optical coating is a broadband antireflective coating. The table below lists our typical manufacturing requirements. If your requirements are not covered above, please contact our technical sales team who will be able to assist you.
YAG Windows
| Diameter Range | 5 mm ~ 80 mm |
| Diameter Tolerance | ± 0.1 mm |
| Centre Thickness | up to 20 mm |
| Centre Thickness Tolerance | ± 0.05 mm |
| Clear Aperture | 90% |
| Centration Tolerance | 1 arc minute |
| Form Error | better than λ/4 (633nm) over aperture |
| Surface Radius Tolerance | 1 fringe over aperture |
| Linear Dimension | up to 80 mm |
| Linear Tolerance | ± 0.1 mm |
| Angular Tolerance | 5 arc minutes |
| Edge Finish | ground, blacked |
| Chamfer | 0.3x0.3@45° |
| Surface Quality | 10-5 scratch/ dig |
YAG Prisms
| Length of Hypotenuse | up-to 80 ± 0.1 mm |
| Length of Sides | up-to 80 ± 0.1 mm |
| Thickness | 30 ± 0.05 mm |
| Angle Tolerance | better than 1 arc minute |
| Edge Finish | ground, blacked |
| Clear Aperture | 90% of entrance dimensions |
| Chamfer | 0.3x0.3@45° |
| Form Error | better than λ/4 (633nm) over aperture |
| Surface Quality | 10-5 scratch/dig |
YAG Ground Blanks
| Diameter Range | less than 5 mm to 80 mm |
| Diameter Tolerance | better than ± 0.5 mm |
| Centre Thickness | up to 20 mm |
| Centre Thickness Tolerance | better than ± 0.5 mm |
| Clear Aperture | 90% |
| Linear Dimension | up to 80 mm |
| Linear Tolerance | better than ± 0.5 mm |
| Angular Tolerance | better than 10 arc minutes |
| Edge Finish | fine ground N6 |
| Chamfer | 0.3x0.3@45° |
Applications:
- Laser Crystals: Metal doping of YAG enables its usage as an active laser crystal. The most used active laser medium is Nd:YAG. It is the medium employed in the majority of solid-state lasers for scholarly and therapeutic purposes, including laser spectroscopy and ophthalmology.
YAG's Optical Properties
YAG is a synthetic crystalline solid that transmits light with good optical uniformity. YAG can be utilized as a laser crystal and can take the place of sapphire as a window material when doped with rare earth elements including Nd, Tm, Er, and Ce. The transmission range and high refractive index of YAG are similar to those of sapphire in terms of mechanical and optical characteristics.
Fig 1. Optical transmittance of UV-irradiated YAG ceramics after annealing at various temperatures. (Zhang L, et al. 2019)
YAG is utilized in a range of optics due to its wide optical transparency, low internal stress, high hardness, chemical resistance, and heat resistance. It is an intriguing material for use in high-power laser systems due to its lack of birefringence. YAG has a laser damage level between 1.1 and 2.2 kJ/cm2 (1064 nm, 10 ns). The optical characteristics of YAG are briefly described here.
| Transmission Range | 0.21 to 5.5 µm |
| Refractive Index | 1.81523@1.06 µm |
| Melting Point | 1940 ℃ |
| Density | 4.56 g/cm3 |
| Hardness | Knoop 1215 |
If you need technical advice, please contact our technical team to learn more about our high-quality services.
Reference
- Zhang L, et al. (2019). "Defects and Solarization in YAG Transparent Ceramics." Photonics Research. 7(5): 549.