Europium silicate thin films on Si substrates fabricated by a radio frequency sputtering method

Europium silicate thin films have been fabricated on Si(100) substrates by a radio frequency magnetron sputtering method and characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The constituents of the films, mixtures of europium silicates, silicon and europium oxides, are sensitive to the stoichimetry of sputter targets, working gases and thermal annealing conditions. Electroluminescent devices based on the europium silicate thin films exhibit large-area uniform broad-band electroluminescence with an external quantum efficiency of about 0.1% at room temperature and a low operating threshold voltage (about 6 V).