Structural characteristics and optical properties of plasma assisted reactive magnetron sputtered dielectric thin films for planar waveguiding applications

► A comprehensive investigation into 5 dielectrics for solid state laser hosts. ► We examined optimization and optical and structural properties of each material. ► Deposited layers varied from amorphous to highly crystalline. ► Layers had varying stoichiometric ratios controlled by deposition parameters. ► Low waveguide loss ideal for waveguiding applications was achieved.