In this contribution we present a versatile sol-gel approach to highly transparent nanocrystalline thin films of (Ho0_,05Y₀,₉₅)2Ti2O₇. We focused on their optical properties and relation between the processing parameters, their structure, and resulting optical properties. Highly transparent and homogenous thin films have been prepared onto planar silica substrates. Coated films were thermally treated to temperatures ranging from 700 to 900 °C. The effect of the structure on the optical properties of prepared films were evaluated. The thickness of prepared layers ranged from 500 to 600 nm and the mean size of nanocrystals ranged around 25 nm in dependence on the processing conditions. Refractive index of prepared films ranged from the value 1.8 up to 2.2. High optical transparency of prepared films along with the ability to tailor the refractive index makes the films to be a suitable material for the construction of planar optical devices.

Date Published: 21 April 2016
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 9885, Photonic Crystal Materials and Devices XII, 98851F (21 April 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2227516

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9885:
Photonic Crystal Materials and Devices XII
Dario Gerace; Gabriel Lozano; Christelle Monat; Sergei G. Romanov, Editor(s)