Growth and analysis of red, green and blue luminescent oxide thin films

The growth and characterization of europium (Eu(3+)) and terbium (Tb(3+)) doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Y(3)Al(5)O(12) or YAG) and undoped ZnGa(2)O(4) photoluminescent thin films deposited on sapphire substrates at 400 degrees C by excimer pulsed laser ablation is reported. Smooth, continuous 500-nm-thick amorphous films were produced with compositions depleted in oxygen. Luminescence measurements on the as-deposited and on annealed samples revealed that heat treatments at temperatures > 800 degrees C were necessary to induce crystallization and reoxygenate, which coincided with the onset of luminescence. Annealing produced randomly oriented grains on the order of 15-200 nm.