The sol–gel synthesis of Er 3+ (1–5%) doped silica(83)–zirconia(17) waveguide materials with addition of aluminum (6–20at%) giving a FWHM ( 4 I 13/2 – 4 I 15/2 )>60nm is reported. Zirconia with high refractive index of 1.9 and low phonon energy is a good material compared with titania. The films were deposited on silicon or silica substrate by dipcoating technique using the precursors of Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 4 (Aldrich), Zr(C 3 H 7 O) 4 , CH 3 –CH(OH)–CH 3 , C 5 H 8 O 2 , Al(NO 3 ) 3 ·9H 2 O, Er(NO 3 ) 3 ·5H 2 O and Yb(NO 3 ) 3 ·5H 2 O (Merck). The dipcoating rate of 2 and 3mm/s were controlled by computer. Samples were calcinated at temperatures from 70 to 900°C. The optical properties were studied by photoluminescent spectra and decay time. Influence of the Al 3+ concentration and the heat treatment conditions for the Er 3+ luminescent properties were studied. An energy transfer from 2 F 5/2 (Yb 3+ ) to 4 I 11/2 (Er 3+ ) multiplets is followed by a relaxation to the 4 I 13/2 (Er 3+ ) and an efficiency luminescence of Er 3+ ( 4 I 13/2 – 4 I 15/2 ) was clearly measured. It is interesting to indicate that the lifetime of few ms of Er 3+ at 1530nm in the sample Si(83)Zr(17)Al(6%)Er(1%)Yb(1%) is longer than for the sample without Yb ions. Multilayer thin films were prepared. The thickness, refractive index, the roughness about 2nm and a propagation loss<2.5dB/cm were studied for active planar waveguide applications.