Pulsed laser deposited alumino-silicate thin films and amorphous chalcogenide/alumino-silicate structures

Alumino-silicate coatings and structures formed from alumino-silicate and amorphous chalcogenide submicrometer layers were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Fabricated thin films were characterized in terms of their structure, morphology, topography, chemical composition, optical properties, and basic anticorrosive functionality. Prepared coatings are amorphous, smooth, without micrometer-sized droplets, with chemical composition close to parent targets. Spectral dependencies of refractive indices and extinction coefficients were derived from variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry data. Amorphous chalcogenide/alumino-silicate structures present large refractive index differences of individual layers (Δn ~ 1.2 at 1550 nm) which could be useful for optical systems working at infrared telecommunication band wavelengths. Basic anticorrosion data of alumino-silicate layers show promising anticorrosion behavior.