A review of the main thin film growth or deposition processes and the state of the art on the applications of crystalline dielectric thin films, especially in the laser field, were presented. The LPE growth technique, which has been described in detail, is particularly suitable for the growth of thin films of high optical quality intended for optical applications, which sometimes require thicknesses of up to several hundred microns. The experimental approach describing the growth process of thin films and their preparation was presented in a simple manner, based on concrete examples, such as the growth of well-known fluoride or oxide films. The fields of application of thin films and in particular thin crystalline dielectric films intended for optics are various, from fundamental research (metrology, quantum optics ...), to devices (lab on chip, microlaser ...), to biopho-tonics, to high-resolution 3D-imaging or the next generation of optical sensors for environment's control. Some of these applications already show the major role that thin-film materials will play in the development of new compact, integrated and even more efficient photonic devices. The next generation of regenerative laser amplifiers, very compact ultrafast pulse lasers, optical devices for quantum com-munications, high-performance scintillators or original magneto-optical devices are some examples of possible concrete developments that would be based on crys-talline dielectric thin films in the next few years

Chapter Contents:

• 5.1 General context
• 5.1.1 State of the art and overview of the main techniques to produce thin films
• 5.1.2 Thin film growth by the liquid phase epitaxy method
• 5.2 Growth of single crystalline thin films by liquid phase epitaxy
• 5.2.1 The liquid phase epitaxy
• 5.2.2 Fluorides epitaxial thin films
• 5.2.2.1 Difficulties related to the growth of fluorides
• 5.2.2.2 Description of a liquid phase epitaxy experimental setup under a controlled atmosphere
• 5.2.2.3 Preparation of the chemical precursors
• 5.2.2.4 Homoepitaxy of RE3+:CaF2/CaF2
• 5.2.2.5 Homoepitaxy of RE3+:LiYF4/LiYF4
• 5.2.3 Oxide epitaxial thin films
• 5.2.3.1 Tungstate thin films
• 5.2.3.2 Garnet thin films
• 5.2.3.3 Silicate thin films
• 5.2.3.4 Perovskites thin films
• 5.2.4 Shaping of the LPE grown crystalline thin films
• 5.2.4.1 Solvent removing, polishing and shaping
• 5.2.4.2 Microstructuration of the crystalline epitaxial thin films for integrated photonic
• 5.3 Photonic application of RE-doped crystalline thin films grown by liquid phase epitaxy
• 5.3.1 Laser oscillator in a waveguide configuration
• 5.3.2 Laser emission in the visible domain
• 5.3.3 Laser emission in the NIR around 1 μm
• 5.3.4 Laser emission in the MIR around 2 μm and above
• 5.3.5 Laser oscillator in a thin-disk configuration
• 5.3.6 Crystalline thin films for saturable absorbers
• 5.4 Conclusion
• References

Inspec keywords: integrated optics; dielectric thin films; lasers; reviews; optical films; liquid phase epitaxial growth

Other keywords: crystalline thin films; regenerative laser amplifiers; crystalline dielectric thin films; oxide films; LPE growth technique; thin film deposition processes; integrated laser applications; fluoride films

Subjects: Deposition from liquid phases (melts and solutions); Optical materials; Deposition from liquid phases; Integrated optics; Lasers; Reviews and tutorial papers; resource letters; Lasing processes; Dielectric materials and properties; Integrated optics; Dielectric thin films; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Optical materials; Thin film growth, structure, and epitaxy