Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ferroelectric thin films were elaborated on glass substrates by chemical solution deposition in the aim to realize integrated waveguide structures. In order to determine the refractive index and the thickness of the films, an M-lines spectroscopy experimental device was set up. Particular attention was given to the analysis of the results and possible error sources. This led us to establish an indexing criterion of the propagation modes, the efficiency of which was proven by numerical simulations. An optimization method was developed which allows the determination of the refractive index and the thickness of the films with a relative accuracy of 10-3. The M-lines characterization method was applied in order to study the influence of the PZT elaboration procedure on the refractive index. Linear and Mach-Zehnder type waveguides were realized by photolithography and wet chemical etching, light guiding along several tens of millimeters was demonstrated.
