Physical vapor deposition of Er3+: Yb3Al5O12 thin films from sol-gel derived targets

Abstract

Although ytterbium aluminum garnets (YbAG) belong to a group of promising optical materials, no physical method of thin films deposition has been described so far. In this work we present the comparison of two valuable physical deposition techniques: pulsed laser deposition and electron beam evaporation. Erbium (Er3+) doped ytterbium garnet (Er0.005Yb0.995)3Al5O12 (Er:YbAG) thin films were prepared using own sol-gel derived ceramic targets. The phase composition of the films and crystallite size were determined using X-ray diffraction. Microstructure and surface morphology were studied by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Deposition parameters of used methods were optimized; however, both techniques produced amorphous films with insufficient microstructure. The effect of additional annealing on the crystallinity and luminescent properties of erbium ions was studied. A pure infrared emission of Er3+ ions was observed only in samples prepared by pulsed laser deposition with subsequent annealing.