Jl. Mass et al., Crystallization and spectroscopic properties of electron-beam-deposited, chromium-doped, forsterite films, CHEM MATER, 11(8), 1999, pp. 2211-2217
A sol-gel prepared, chromium-doped, magnesium- and silicon-containing oxide
mixture was used as a target material for the electron-beam deposition of
1.2 mu m thick chromium-doped forsterite films onto single-crystal quartz s
ubstrates. The stoichiometry of the target materials was adjusted to compen
sate for the disparate volatilities of the component oxides. X-ray diffract
ion revealed that the as-deposited films were amorphous, and the refractive
indices of the films revealed that they were near full density. seating th
e films to 650 degrees C produced isolated crystallites of forsterite that
ranged in size from 50 to 250 nm in an amorphous matrix (by TEM). Only film
s that had been heated to 725 degrees C and above revealed Cr4+ emissions.