Process for making rare earth containing glass

• US 8,304,081 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sekisui Chemical Company Limited (Sekisui)
• Original Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sekisui Chemical Company Limited (Sekisui)
• Inventors: Tomozawa, Minoru, Hatta, Bungo
• Primary Examiner(s): McNeil, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Lauren
• Application Number:
  US12/446,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20100323204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 428/426, 428/688, 428/689, 428/697, 428/702, 651/16, 651/17, 654/34
• US Class Current: 428/426
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10009 characterized by the number, the constitution or treatment of glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1055 characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/062 with less than 40% silica by weight
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/095 containing rare earths
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 4/0071 for laserable glass

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for making a SiO₂—RE_xO_y—Al₂O₃ glass comprising preparing a glass according to a conventional process wherein the conventional process comprises a step of heat treating a mixture of SiO₂, RE_xO_y, and Al₂O₃ at a temperature greater than the spinodal temperature for 0.1 to 10 hours wherein RE_xO_y is a rare earth oxide and RE is a rare earth element chosen from Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and combinations thereof. The invention also relates to glasses prepared by the process and glass lasers, optical amplifiers and laminated glass that comprise the glass prepared by the process.

Claims

1. A process for making a SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass comprising preparing a glass according to a conventional process wherein the conventional process comprises a step of heat treating a mixture of SiO₂, RE_xO_y, and Al₂O₃ at a temperature greater than the spinodal temperature for 0.1 to 10 hours, wherein RE_xO_y is a rare earth oxide and RE is a rare earth element chosen from Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and combinations thereof, wherein said glass comprises, in terms of mol percent on an oxide basis, about 60 to about 98.9 mol % SiO₂, about 10 to about 35 mol % Re_xO_y, and about 0.1 to about 30 mol % Al₂O₃.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein RE is Nd.

3. A process according to claim 1, further comprising a step of quenching.

4. A process according to claim 3, wherein the step of quenching comprises quenching with water or liquid nitrogen.

5. A process according to claim 1, wherein RE_xO_y is present in from about 20 to about 35 mol % on an oxide basis.

6. A process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treating takes place at a temperature from about 50°

C. to about 600°

C. greater than the spinodal temperature.

7. A process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treating takes place at a temperature from about 200°

C. to about 600°

C. greater than the spinodal temperature.

8. A process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treating takes place at a temperature from about 300°

C. to about 600°

C. greater than the spinodal temperature.

9. A SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass prepared by preparing a glass according to a conventional process wherein the conventional process comprises a step of heat treating a mixture of SiO₂, RE_xO_y, and Al₂O₃ at a temperature greater than the spinodal temperature for 0.1 to 10 hours, wherein RE_xO_y is a rare earth oxide and RE is a rare earth element chosen from Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and combinations thereof, wherein said glass comprises, in terms of mol percent on an oxide basis, about 60 to about 98.9 mol % SiO₂, about 10 to about 35 mol % RE_xO_y, and about 0.1 to about 30 mol % Al₂O₃.

10. A SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass according to claim 9, wherein RE_xO_y is present in from about 20 to about 35 mol % on an oxide basis.

11. A laminated glass according to claim 10, wherein the transmittance of the laminated glass is more than 40%.

12. A laminated glass according to claim 10, wherein the transmittance of the laminated glass is more than 60%.

13. A laminated glass according to claim 10, wherein the DeBoer score is less than 5.

14. A SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass according to claim 9, wherein Re is Nd.

15. A glass laser comprising the SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass according to claim 9.

16. An optical amplifier comprising the SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass according to claim 9.

17. A laminated glass comprising two or more sheets of glass and one or more interlayer film, wherein at least one of the sheets of glass is a SiO₂—

RE_xO_y—

Al₂O₃ glass according to claim 9.

18. A laminated glass according to claim 17, wherein RE_xO_y is chosen from Nd₂O₃, Er₂O₃ and combinations thereof.

19. A laminated glass according to claim 9, wherein RE_xO_y is present in from about 10 to about 35 mol %.