Abstract
Bi12SiO20 thin films have been prepared on (0001) sapphire substrates by electron cyclotron resonance plasma sputtering with a Bi and Si multitarget system. The epitaxial thin films of γ-phase Bi12SiO20 have been obtained at the substrate temperature of 600 °C during the sputtering process. Excellent quadratic electro-optic effects for these epitaxial thin films were successfully observed for the first time. The details of the preparation, structure, and electro-optic properties of the Bi12SiO20 thin films are precisely described.