Liquid-phase epitaxy crystal growth of monoclinic KLu1-xYbx(WO4)2/KLu(WO4)2 layers

Epitaxial layers of KLu1-xYbx(WO4)(2)/KLu(WO4)(2) with different Yb concentrations were grown by liquid-phase epitaxy. The quality of the epitaxial layers principally depends on the Yb concentration and the crystal face. In solutions with up to 50 mol % of substitution of Lu2O3 by Yb2O3, defect-free layers can be grown and the highest quality face is (010). The layers grown on the (- 111) face tend to have a higher density of morphologies. The optical spectroscopy of Yb3+ in thin layers coincides with that obtained in doped bulk crystals.