Er-doped Waveguide Al <sub> 2 </ Sub> O <sub> 3 </ Sub> Thin-film Micro-state

In this work, we studied the microstructure, surface morphology, annealing performance, composition and mechanical properties of the Er-doped A1203 photonic thin films prepared by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) method. We used TEM, SEM, AFM, XRD, EDX in this research. We try to evaluate the films in various aspects and to provide important information in improving the film-preparation techniques. EDX results showed the Er contents in our as-deposited A1203 films are about 1 at.%. According to the results of TEM and XRD, we found the films are dominantly amorphous when deposited on the 5000C substrate. The films became polycrystalline y- A1203 after annealing below 10000C and sole a- A1203 after annealing at 1200 0C for 2 hours. The a- Al203 grain sizes are about 5-lOp.m. SEM and AFM showed the films are flat and smooth, but in some areas there exists small amount of impurities and faults. Temperature has a great influence on the films?hardness and the adhesion to the substrate.