Characterization of ZnO Films Doped by Erbium
Abstract
In the present work, the influence of europium ions (Eu3+) on the physical properties of ZnO films was investigated. Thin films were fabricated on silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering method at room temperature and thermally treated in a temperature range of 200 – 900°C. The characterization of ZnO films was performed using different physical methods: structural and optical. In particular, using spectroscopic methods such as photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) at room temperature are found to be useful for studying the nature of the defects and band gap energy determination as a fundamental physical parameter of ZnO films. Intense red emission of Eu3+ dopant in ZnO films is issued by the band-to-band excitation and energy transfer from the host ZnO to europium ions. The results presented in this work are important to develop energy efficient solid state lighting devices and solar cells.