Advanced in-situ monitoring of structural changes of optically active materials during laser annealing


The project deals the utilization of a pulsed laser annealing (PLA) to activate and enhance fluorescent properties of nanostructured oxide and fluoride waveguides doped with rare-earth (RE) ions. The attention will be paid to nanocrystals of metals and oxides such as Yb, Eu:Y2O3, Eu:Lu2O3, RE:ZnO embedded in fluoride and oxide (alumina/silica) matrices; RE-doped fluoride nanocrystals (Eu,Er,Pr) in amorphous oxyfluoride waveguiding matrices. The structural properties of nanocrystals in matrix will be selectively influenced by PLA. The relation between the annealing conditions (fluence, wavelength, substrate temperature and ambient) and structural properties of nanostructured RE-doped films will be investigated. The effect of laser annealing on nanostructures optical properties and fluorescence will be consequently studied theoretically and experimentally. A system for direct in-situ monitoring of optical properties and stimulated measurements, in order to optimize the PLA process, will be developed.