Highly oriented crystalline Er:YAG and Er:YAP layers prepared by PLD and annealing

High quality, thick, highly oriented crystalline thin films of Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Y3Al5O12) and Yttrium Aluminum Perovskite (YAlO3) doped with Erbium were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Samples were created in vacuum or oxygen environment. Depositions were arranged at room temperature, or at high substrate temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100 °C. Amorphous layers were annealed by laser, or in oven (argon flow, temperatures in range from 1200 to 1400 °C). Fused silica and sapphire (0 0 0 1) were used as substrates. Properties of films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and by photoluminescence measurement. Size of crystalline grains was in the range 116–773 nm. Thickness of layers was up to 17 μm.