Effect of oxygen pressure on stoichiometric transfer in laser ablation of Pr3+ doped Gd2O3–Ga2O3 binary system

Three different compounds, cubic Gd2O3, orthorhombic GdGaO3, and cubic Gd3Ga5O12 doped with Pr3+ ions were fabricated as waveguiding films by pulsed laser deposition from the same target material, Pr3+ doped Gd3Ga5O12 (Pr:GGG) single crystal. All of them were deposited at the same substrate temperature of 800 °C. The different crystalline phases obtained depend only on the ambient oxygen pressure and the substrate type (YAG or YAP single crystals). The structural and texture properties of the films were analyzed by x-ray diffraction. Pr3+ fluorescence properties were found to be similar to those of the bulk crystals. The refractive indices and waveguiding properties of the films were determined. The fluorescence properties of Pr3+ doping ions and the refractive index of the film are presented. The oriented crystalline Pr:GdGaO3 and Pr:GGG films show waveguiding propagation with attenuation around 2.5 and 1 dB/cm, respectively.