Photoluminescence in erbium-doped Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 thin films

Erbium-doped Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3(PMN–PT) thin films were grown on (10 1̄2) sapphire substrate with a purpose of developing an active optical material combining both the large electro-optic (EO) effect and lasing or amplification functions. Strong characteristic Er3+ intra-4f shell emission around 1.54 μm is observed at room temperature and a compositional quenching occurred at where the Er content is larger than 0.5 mol %. The introduction of Er in PMN–PT decreased the EO effect, but the EO coefficient still maintain a reasonable value, which is about 0.4×10−16 (m/V)2 at Er content of 0.5 mol %. These results indicate that Er3+-doped PMN–PT can be a potential candidate for integrated optic active devices.