Abstract

We investigated the effect of ZnO concentration on structural, surface morphology and optical properties of Er:ZrO₂ thin films grown using electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) method. The concentration of ZnO in the films was varied by keeping the same concentration of Er₂O₃ (2 mol%) to investigate the ZnO dependence on the structural and optical properties of Er:ZrO₂ thin films. The prepared thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD for thin films modifying ZnO confirm the formation of a mixture phase, tetragonal and monoclinic, with P42/nmcz and P121/c1 space group, respectively. The photoluminescence (PL) and ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2 lifetime was measured with 980 nm near-infrared excitation. The effects of thermal treatment as well as the concentration of ZnO on the PL emission intensity and lifetime in the near-infrared region (from the ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_15/2 radiative transition) were studied.

© 2019 The Author(s)