RBS characterization of Al2O3 films doped with Ce and Mn

Rutherford backscattering (RBS) with 4He energies from 2 to 6 MeV has been used to study the properties of thin amorphous photoluminescent Al2O3:Ce,Mn films grown by spray pyrolysis on Corning 7059 glass substrates. The source solutions were AlCl3, CeCl3 and MnCl2 dissolved in deionized water. Different molar concentrations (Ce 10%; Mn 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 10%) were investigated under the same deposition conditions at a substrate temperature of 300 °C. The RBS spectra show a homogeneous depth profile of both Ce and Mn within the films, and the measured quantities are consistent with the original solution concentrations. An important amount of Cl, which plays a significant role in luminescent properties, was detected, in both the doped and undoped samples.