Enhanced luminescence from europium-doped yttrium oxide thin films grown via pulsed laser deposition

Yttrium oxide thin films doped with europium were grown on silicon, Corning 2947 glass, c-axis sapphire and quartz substrates. A pulsed laser ablation process was used to deposit films onto substrates heated from 250;Crystalline as-deposited films were achieved at substrate temperatures as low as 250;Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence intensities increased as a function of increasing growth temperature and pressure. The PL intensity increased from 0.093 fL for 1 ;Films were not cathodoluminescent until growth and annealing at 800;Improvements in luminescence with an increase in surface roughness were attributed to forward light scattering caused by the rough surface. The appropriate scattering model was anomalous diffraction. Although the 3...