Fabrication of Er3+ doped oxyfluoride-silicate glass film by pulsed laser deposition for planar amplifier

Abstract Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique has been employed to fabricate glassy films based on the Er 3+ doped oxyfluoride lead-silicate glasses. Glassy films have been produced at temperatures between 300 and 400 °C with O 2 pressures ranging from 25 to 175 mTorr. The film microstructure appears to be determined mainly by substrate temperature. The film refractive index increases with higher temperatures and lower O 2 pressures. The photoluminescence intensity of Er 3+ ions and lifetime are very much dependent on the film microstructure and defects. Fewer fabrication defects and less porous films produce stronger fluorescence intensity and longer lifetime of Er 3+ ions. At an optimized temperature and O 2 pressure, the Er photoluminescence properties of the film can be reproduced and are very close to those of target glass. Consequently the work reported here suggested a good candidate for further investigation as a thin film material for EDWA.