Effect of annealing on the structural and UV photoluminescence properties of Sb-doped SnO2 films deposited on Al2O3 (0001) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

The antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO2: Sb) films have been deposited on the Al2O3 (0001) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The influence of annealing on the structural and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the SnO2: Sb films was investigated. The prepared samples were polycrystalline films having a rutile structure of pure SnO2 and a preferred orientation along the (110) direction, with an improvement in the film crystallinity observed after annealing. An ultraviolet PL peak near 334 nm was observed at room temperature both before and after annealing. The corresponding PL mechanism was discussed in detail. (C) 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)