Growth of MgWO4 phosphor by RF magnetron sputtering

Magnesium tungstate (MgWO4) thin film phosphors prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputter deposition were characterized. alpha- and beta-MgWO4 were determined as the major phases in the films studied. Since the deposition rates of film were influenced by RF power. working pressure as well as oxygen content, these processing parameters played an important role in affecting the phase present in the as-deposited films. It is found that the formation of alpha-MgWO4 phase was favorable for the films grown at low deposition rates (<40 Angstrom min(-1)) whereas beta-MgWO4 was a dominant phase at high deposition rates. Substrate temperatures showed no detectable effects on the deposition rates and thus the beta-MgWO4 was the only phase present for the substrate temperature range examined. A phase formation mechanism due to the deposition rate difference is described. Post-deposition annealing significantly improved the cathodoluminescence (CL) properties of films, with annealing temperatures at 750 degrees C or above being the most effective. CL property improvement appeared to he attributed to the enhancement of crystallinity and the transformation to the stable beta-MgWO4 phase during the annealing. Annealing-induced film delamination and blisters. however, resulted in deterioration of low voltage CL properties. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All lights reserved.