Photoluminescence and attenuation of spray-pyrolysis-deposited erbium-doped Y_2O_3 planar optical waveguides

Abstract
Erbium-doped Y2O3 planar optical waveguides have been fabricated by spray-pyrolysis deposition. The attenuation spectrum of the waveguide shows peaks that are due to absorption of the erbium ions. The as-deposited layers also show photoluminescence sharply peaking at 1540 nm with additional Stark splitting. The thin layers of Er3+:Y2O3 obtained are promising for the realization of integrated-optic amplifiers and lasers.