Abstract: A ceramic waveguide includes: a doped metal oxide ceramic core layer; and at least one cladding layer comprising the metal oxide surrounding the core layer, such that the core layer includes an erbium dopant and at least one rare earth metal dopant being: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, or oxides thereof, or at least one non-rare earth metal dopant comprising zirconium or oxides thereof. Also included is a quantum memory including: at least one doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device with the ceramic waveguide and a method of fabricating the ceramic waveguide.

Abstract: A process of forming a sintered article includes heating a green portion of a tape of polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals in organic binder at a binder removal zone to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the binder; horizontally conveying the portion of tape with organic binder removed from the binder removal zone to a sintering zone; and sintering polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals of the portion of tape at the sintering zone, wherein the tape simultaneously extends through the removal and sintering zones.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

Abstract: A process of forming a sintered article includes heating a green portion of a tape of polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals in organic binder at a binder removal zone to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the binder; horizontally conveying the portion of tape with organic binder removed from the binder removal zone to a sintering zone; and sintering polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals of the portion of tape at the sintering zone, wherein the tape simultaneously extends through the removal and sintering zones.

Abstract: Ceramic assembly can comprise a ceramic article comprising a thickness defined between a first major surface and a second major surface. The thickness can be about 100 micrometers or less. The ceramic assembly can comprise a polymer coating deposited over at least an outer peripheral portion of the first major surface of the ceramic article. The polymer coating can comprise a thickness of about 30 micrometers or less. An edge strength of the ceramic assembly can be greater than an edge strength of the ceramic article by about 50 MegaPascals or more. Methods of forming a ceramic assembly can comprise depositing a polymer coating on an outer peripheral portion of a first major surface of a ceramic article. Methods can further comprise curing the polymer coating.

Abstract: A cathode configured for a solid-state battery includes a body having grains of inorganic material sintered to one another, wherein the grains comprise lithium. A thickness of the body is from 3 ?m to 100 ?m. The first major surface and the second major surface have an unpolished granular profile such that the profile includes grains protruding outward from the respective major surface with a height of at least 25 nm and no more than 150 ?m relative to recessed portions of the respective major surface at boundaries between the respective grains.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

Abstract: A process of forming a sintered article includes heating a green portion of a tape of polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals in organic binder at a binder removal zone to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the binder; horizontally conveying the portion of tape with organic binder removed from the binder removal zone to a sintering zone; and sintering polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals of the portion of tape at the sintering zone, wherein the tape simultaneously extends through the removal and sintering zones.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device includes mixing a plurality of transition metal complexes and a plurality of rare-earth metal complexes to form a metal salt solution, heating the metal salt solution to form a heated metal salt solution, mixing the heated metal salt solution and an organic precursor to induce a chemical reaction between the heated metal salt solution and the organic precursor to produce a plurality of rare-earth doped crystalline nanoparticles, and sintering the plurality of rare-earth doped nanoparticles to form a doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device having a rare-earth element dopant that is uniformly distributed within a crystal lattice of the doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and techniques for manufacturing a crystalline material (e.g., large crystal material) through the solid state conversion of a polycrystalline material are described. A device may be configured to concurrently heat a volume of ribbon, such as an alumina ribbon, using multiple heat sources. For example, a first heat source may heat a first volume of the ribbon and a second heat source may concurrently heat a second volume, for example, within the first volume, where the ribbon may comprise polycrystalline material. The concurrent heating may drive grain growth in the polycrystalline material in at least the second volume, which may convert the polycrystalline material to crystalline material having one or more grains that are larger than one or more grains of the polycrystalline material. The processed ribbon may include a large crystal material or a single crystal material.

Abstract: A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: A process of forming a sintered article includes heating a green portion of a tape of polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals in organic binder at a binder removal zone to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the binder; horizontally conveying the portion of tape with organic binder removed from the binder removal zone to a sintering zone; and sintering polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals of the portion of tape at the sintering zone, wherein the tape simultaneously extends through the removal and sintering zones.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and techniques for manufacturing a crystalline material (e.g., large crystal material) through the solid state conversion of a polycrystalline material are described. A device may be configured to concurrently heat a volume of ribbon, such as an alumina ribbon, using multiple heat sources. For example, a first heat source may heat a first volume of the ribbon and a second heat source may concurrently heat a second volume, for example, within the first volume, where the ribbon may comprise polycrystalline material. The concurrent heating may drive grain growth in the polycrystalline material in at least the second volume, which may convert the polycrystalline material to crystalline material having one or more grains that are larger than one or more grains of the polycrystalline material. The processed ribbon may include a large crystal material or a single crystal material.

Abstract: A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.