Thin films of Praseodymium-doped chalcogenide glasses [GeS2-Ga2S3-CsI] were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The targets were ablated using XeCl (308 nm) and KrF (248 nm) excimer lasers. The films were deposited on microscope glass slides, SiO2 plates and lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrates at room temperature and at 300 °C. Morphological, compositional and structural characteristics of deposited films were investigated by different techniques. (Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction). Optical transmission of films and target, at normal incidence, were recorded in the 200-3500 nm spectral region. The optical constants (refractive index n and extinction coefficient k) vs wavelength, as well as the film thickness, were calculated from these spectra with the aid of a computer code. The presence of praseodymium in the doped chalcogenide thin film was analysed by exciting the electrons to the 1G4 level and collecting the photoluminescence spectrum in the 1.335 µm region. The waveguiding properties of the deposited films were investigated by the prism coupling technique (m-lines spectroscopy).
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