Preparation and Luminescence of Europium-doped Yttrium Oxide Thin Films

Thin films of europium-doped yttrium oxide ($Y_2O_3$:Eu) were prepared on Si (100) substrates by using a radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. After the deposition, the films were annealed at $1000^{\circ}C$ in an air ambient for 1 hour. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the $Y_2O_3$:Eu films had a polycrystalline cubic ${\alpha}-Y_2O_3$ structure. The as-deposited films showed no photoluminescence (PL), which was due to poor crystalline quality of the films. The crystallinity of the $Y_2O_3$:Eu films was significantly improved by annealing. The strong red PL emission was observed from the annealed $Y_2O_3$:Eu films and the highest intensity peak was centered at around 613 nm. This emission peak originated from the $^5D_0{\rightarrow}^7F_2$ transition of the trivalent Eu ions occupying the $C_2$ sites in the cubic ${\alpha}-Y_2O_3$ lattice. The broad PL excitation band was observed at wavelengths below 280 nm, which was attributed to the charge transfer transition of the trivalent Eu ion.