Raman scattering and luminescence study on arrays of ZnO doped with Tb3+

Ordered Tb3+-doped zinc oxide nanowire arrays embedded in anodic alumina membranes (AAMs) were fabricated by an improved sol–gel method. They are hexagonal wurtzite structures with uniform diameter of about 30 nm. From the Raman spectra, the peak at about 439 cm−1 (E2 (high) mode) decreases greatly, even disappears. It is seldom seen in ZnO. Compared with the undoped bulk ZnO, intensity of the peak at about 1005 cm−1 increases greatly and shifts towards the low Raman shift with the doping of Tb being increased. No luminescence of ZnO or Tb2O3 was found in luminescence spectra. They all indicated that Tb3+ ions did enter into the ZnO lattice.