Structural characterization and X-ray analysis by Williamson–Hall method for Erbium doped Aluminum Nitride nanoparticles, synthesized using inert gas condensation technique

• Structural characterization of AlN:Er NPs using XRD, Debye–Scherrer and Williamson–Hall analysis.
• Calculation of crystallite size, stress, strain and energy density for AlN:Er NPs.
• Optical characterization of AlN:Er NPs to study nanoscale thermal sensing capabilities of these NPs.

We have synthesized AlN nanoparticles (NPs) doped in-situ with Er (AlN:Er) using inert gas condensation technique. Using x-ray diffraction (XRD) peak broadening analysis with the Williamson–Hall (W–H) Uniform Deformation Model (UDM) the crystallite size of the NPs and the strain in NPs were found to be 80±38 nm and 3.07×10−3±0.9×10−3 respectively. In comparison, using the Debye–Scherrer's (DS) formula, we have inferred that the crystallite size of the NPs was 23±6 nm and the average strain was 4.3×10−3±0.4×10−3. The scanning electron microscopy images show that the NPs are spherical and have an average diameter of ∼300 nm. The crystallite size is smaller than the size of the NPs revealing their polycrystalline behavior. In addition, the NPs strain, stress and energy density were also calculated using W–H analysis combined with the Uniform Deformation Stress Model (UDSM) and the Uniform Deformation Energy Density Model (UDEDM). Suggested by the spherical geometry and polycrystalline nature of the AlN NPs, the strain computed from UDM, UDSM and UDEDM were in agreement confirming an isotropic mechanical nature of the particle. Luminescence measurements revealed the temperature dependence of the optical emission of the Er3+ ions, confirming the use of AlN:Er NPs for nano-scale temperature sensing.