Pulsed-laser deposition of smooth thin films of Er, Pr and Nd doped glasses

Thin films of complex oxides have been obtained by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) from glass targets belonging to the system Li2O–Al2O3–P2O5–(RE)2O3, with RE = Nd, Pr, Er. The films were deposited on quartz, silicon and ITO/glass substrates using a F2 laser (λ = 157 nm, ι ≈ 20 ns) for ablation in vacuum. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the oxide films were investigated through IR and UV–VIS spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry. The laser wavelength was found to be the key parameter to obtain thin films with very smooth surface. In this way new possibilities are opened to grow multilayer structures for photonic applications.