Aerosol-Gel Deposition of Optically Active Thin Films in the System Y2Ti2O7-Er2Ti2O7

Optically active thin films in the system Y2Ti2O7-Er2Ti2O7 (YETO) have been deposited using the Aerosol-gel process. Depending on the heat-treatment temperature, amorphous or crystalline films could be prepared in the range 600–950°C. The study shows that dilution of erbium ions within a Y2Ti2O7 (YTO) matrix allows to prevent short range distance interactions between those ions and to promote good photoluminescence properties of YETO films. These properties are discussed and compared with those of sol-gel derived silica films doped with erbium.