Transparent gallate glass-ceramics

Abstract

Disclosed is a substantially transparent glass-ceramic ceramic, and a method for making a glass-ceramic, exhibiting an aluminogallate spinel crystal phase and having a glass-ceramic composition that lies within the SiO2—Ga2O3—Al2O3—K2O—Na2O— system and particularly consisting essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 25-55% SiO2, 9-50% Ga2O3, 7-33% Al2O3, 0-20% K2O, 0-15% Na2O, 0-6 Li2O and 5-30% K2O+Na2O, the glass ceramic microstructure containing a crystal phase comprising at least 5%, by weight, of aluminogallate spinel crystals. Another aspect disclosed is optical element selected from the group consisting of an optical fiber, a gain or laser medium, and an amplifier component, a saturable absorber, with the element comprising a transparent glass-ceramic of the same composition and containing a crystallinity of at least about 5% by weight of aluminogallate spinel crystals.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.