Engineering of luminescence from Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors by pulsed laser deposition

Nanostructured Gd2O3:Eu3+ thin films were prepared by pulsed laser ablation technique. The dependence of structural, morphological and optical properties of these films on photoluminescence was systematically studied by varying the annealing temperature, Eu3+Eu3+ incorporation concentration and laser fluence. The intensity of the XRD peak from (2 2 2) crystal plane was found to increase with annealing temperature in the range 973–1173 K. Films annealed at 1173 K show a preferential growth along (2 2 2) crystal plane of the cubic Gd2O3Gd2O3 and enhanced photoluminescence at 612 nm. XRD and Micro-Raman spectra and lattice strain investigations suggest that Eu3+Eu3+ incorporation introduce a strong lattice distortion in Gd2O3Gd2O3 matrix. Morphological investigations using atomic force microscopy indicate a strong influence of the annealing process on the surface roughness and particle size. This kind of transparent thin film phosphors may promise for applications in flat-panel displays and X-ray imaging systems.