Rare-earth-activated glass -ceramic waveguides

This work presents a short review of the activity performed in developing sol–gel-derived SiO2–HfO2 and SiO2–SnO2 glass–ceramic waveguides activated by Er3+ and Eu3+ ions, respectively. Fabrication by top-down and bottom-up techniques is reported and optical and spectroscopic assessment of glass ceramic waveguides is discussed. Luminescence enhancement is demonstrated. Refractive index modulation upon UV exposure is measured in SiO2–SnO2 film.