Photoluminescence of Eu-doped TiO2 thin films prepared by low pressure hot target magnetron sputtering

In this work Eu-doped TiO2 thin films prepared by reactive magnetron co-sputtering of Ti-Eu metallic target have been studied. The results of photoluminescence (PL) and its correlation with microstructure have been described. Structural properties were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). XRD studies have shown that thin films consisted of TiO2-anatase and AFM images display their high quality and dense nanocrystalline structure. PL spectra, measured at room temperature, show a dominating strong red luminescence corresponding to 5D(0)-F-7(2) transition at similar to 617 nm and similar to 623 nm. The evolution of photoluminescence and microstructure of the thin films has been examined as they were additionally annealed in an air ambient. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.