Rare Earth Doped Glasses and Glass Ceramics Optical and Physical Characterization

Abstract

Glass-ceramics are fine-grained hetro-phase composite materials consisting of newlineglassy and crystalline phases. The low energy (crystalline) phases are introduced as a newlineresult of spontaneous thermal treatments in the precursor glass of a suitable newlinecomposition. Glass-ceramics gained huge momentum since their discovery owing to newlinetheir favorable thermal, chemical and optical properties superior to those of crystals, newlineceramics or glasses. The key role in the development of unique features in glassceramics newlineis played by; (i) the choice of composition; and (ii) control of newlinemicrostructure. The chosen composition determines the physical and chemical newlinecharacteristics like luminosity, hardness, thermal expansion coefficient, density and newlinethe microstructure formed determines the promotion or disintegration of these newlineproperties. newline