Fabrication, structure and luminescence properties of polycrystalline Tb3+-doped Lu2SiO5 films by Pechini sol-gel method

► Tb:Lu2SiO5 films are firstly successfully fabricated on silicon (1 1 1) substrates by Pechini sol-gel method combined with the spin-coating technique. The method is simple, cheap and nontoxic. ► Tb:Lu2SiO5 films are crystallized into A-type LSO phase at 1000 °C, followed by a phase transition from A-type LSO to B-type LSO occurred at 1100 °C. ► The AFM observation reveals that the phosphor films are uniform and crack-free.