Pulsed laser deposition of materials for optoelectronic applications

SiO2 (silica) and ITO (indium tin oxide) films, SiO2/ITO bilayers and multilayers and Pr3+-doped chalcogenide glass films were deposited by excimer laser (λ=308, 248 and 193 nm) ablation. Dense, stoichiometric SiO2 films, almost droplet-free and with low surface roughness (<5 nm) were deposited with the ArF laser. By using the XeCl laser, ITO electrodes were deposited on optical waveguides and Pr3+-doped chalcogenide glass films on microscope slides. The deposited films were investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, optical thickness probes, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. The transmittance and reflectance of chalcogenide films were measured in the range 400–2500 nm and the refractive indices were calculated as a function of wavelength.