Influence of deposition conditions on the optical properties of erbium-doped yttrium oxide films grown by aerosol-UV assisted MOCVD

► We investigate the effects of humidity of carrier gas and UV-assistance on the structure and optical properties of Er:Y2O3 films on as-deposited and post-deposition annealed films. ► The as-deposited Er:Y2O3 films under high air humidity and with UV-assistance, present a very low organic contamination and have the cubic structure of Y2O3. ► After annealing at 800 °C, two phases coexist in the films, cubic and monoclinic yttria structure. ► We study the Er+3 luminescence in the visible and IR regions.