Amorphous Tm3+ doped sulfide thin films fabricated by sputtering

Amorphous chalcogenide films play a motivating role in the development of integrated planar optical circuits and their components. The aim of the present investigation was to optimize deposition conditions for preparation of pure and Tm3+ doped sulfide films by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The study of their composition, morphological characteristics and thermal properties was realized by scanning electronic microscope attached with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, X-ray diffraction, and micro-thermal probe. Some optical properties, like transmission, index of refraction, optical band-gap, propagation modes from 633 to 1540 nm, were investigated on thin films. The whole results point out hopeful perspectives strengthened by the clear observation of the near-infrared photo-luminescence of Tm3+ doped sulfide films. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.