Structural and photoluminescence characteristics of ZnO films by room temperature sputtering and rapid thermal annealing process

ZnO thin films deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates at room temperature by sputtering technology were annealed with a rapid thermal annealing process at various temperatures from 200 °C to 900 °C. The physical and optical properties of the ZnO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and room-temperature photoluminescence (PL). The surface structures of the thin films showed great variations with increased annealing temperature. The PL spectrum illustrated that a stronger UV emission intensity appeared at an annealing temperature of 500 °C. On the other hand, visible-light emission could be obtained when the ZnO films were annealed above 500 °C and reached a maximum intensity at 900 °C. The possible mechanisms for visible-light emission are discussed. PACS 81.15.Cd; 81.40.Ef; 78.55.-m; 78.55.Et     

Structure and luminescent properties of LaNbO4 synthesized by sol-gel process

The luminescence properties of LaNbO₄ synthesized by the citric gel process were investigated. The crystallized orthorhombic and monoclinic biphasic structure forms at temperatures below 1100 °C and well-crystallized monoclinic LaNbO₄ is obtained by heat treatment at a temperature of 1200 °C for 3 h. All of LaNbO₄ phosphors derived from the citric gel method exhibit red-shifted excitation spectra as the calcining temperature increased from 700 to 1200 °C. The effect of the heat treatment conditions on the peak shape and the peak positions of the photoluminescence (PL) emission are undetectable, and the PL spectra excited at 260 nm have a blue emission band maximum at 408 nm, corresponding to the self-activated luminescence center of LaNbO₄. The sample heat treated at 1100 °C for 3 h showed the highest absorption and fluorescence intensities among the prepared samples.     

Laser induced micro-photoluminescence of marble and application to authenticity testing of ancient objects

For the last 70 years, the authenticity of disputable marble objects has been tested by using a black light lamp. According to empirical observations “fresh marbles are purple while ancient ones are blue under the lamp”. This discrimination lacks scientific basis but is very popular because sculptured stone dating is impossible. This work aims to test the reliability of the “UV method” by studying the laser excited photoluminescence (PL) of marble surfaces. An argon ion laser beam was focused through a microscope objective onto the sample, offering a PL spatial resolution of 3 μm. Newly-cut marbles show an intense emission at 610 nm ascribed to Mn²⁺ and a less intense one at 390 nm. Excavated surfaces show the 610 nm emission and a broadband (380–530 nm) one. Similar broadband emissions due to humic (HAs) and fulvic acids (FAs) are typical in soil PL spectra and were observed in the spectra of samples taken from the soil surrounding the excavated surfaces. Additionally, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of excavated surfaces show a peak at g=2.0045, typical in calcite doped with humic acids. We presume that the 380–550 nm emission originates from HA and FA salts existing in the infiltrated soil or the recrystallised calcite developed in marble patinas. Finally, the application of the “UV method” on twelve ancient and modern surfaces proved that the technique is only partly reliable and should be used together with other analytical techniques. PACS 78.55.-m; 78.55.Hx; 81.70.Fy; 87.64.Hd     

Infrared luminescence from spark-processed silicon

The infrared (IR) photoluminescence (PL) emission of spark-processed silicon (sp-Si) was investigated. A broad and strong room temperature PL peak in the 945 nm (1.31 eV) spectral range was observed when sp-Si was excited with an argon laser. This peak is different from the PL commonly reported for anodically etched porous silicon and other silicon-based materials. The PL intensity increases substantially after annealing sp-Si between 350 and 500 °C in air after which it decreases again. The PL wavelength is observed to peak at 1010 nm by annealing sp-Si near 450 °C. It was further found that the most efficient PL occurs for a Si/O ratio of 0.3, for a small spark gap of about 1 mm, and for spark-processing times in the 15-60 min range.A model for the IR PL is proposed which mirrors that for visible PL. Specifically, it is proposed that the electrons which have been pumped by the laser from the ground state into a broad quasi-absorption band (or closely spaced absorption lines between 1.7 and 2.3 eV) revert back to lower IR levels at 1.31 eV by a non-radiative transition from where they revert radiatively to the ground state by emitting the observed 945 nm light.     

Luminescence mechanism of ZnO thin film investigated by XPS measurement

The effects of annealing environment on the luminescence characteristics of ZnO thin films that were deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL). An analysis of the O 1s peak of ZnO film revealed that the concentration of oxygen vacancies increased with the annealing temperature from 600 °C to 900 °C under an ambient atmosphere. The PL results demonstrated that the intensity of green light emission at 523 nm also increased with temperature. Under various annealing atmospheres, the analyses of PL indicated that only one emission peak (523 nm) was obtained, indicating that only one class of defect was responsible for the green luminescence. The green light emission was strongest and the concentration of oxygen vacancies was highest when the ZnO film was annealed in ambient atmosphere at 900 °C. The results in this investigation show that the luminescence mechanism of the emission of green light from a ZnO thin film is associated primarily with oxygen vacancies. PACS 81.15.Cd; 81.40.Ef; 78.55.-m; 78.55.Et     

Optical studies in gamma irradiated Mg doped CaF2 single crystals

Pure and Mg doped CaF₂ single crystals grown by the Bridgman method were irradiated with gamma rays (γ-rays) for doses ranging from 97 Gy to 9.72 KGy. The pristine samples showed minimal absorption indicating the purity of the samples. The γ-irradiated pure CaF₂ crystals showed prominent and strong absorption with a peak at ~ 374 nm besides three weak ones at ~ 456, 523 and 623 nm. However γ-rayed Mg doped crystals showed a prominent absorption with a strong peak at ~ 370 nm and a broad one at ~ 530 nm. The absorption indicated the generation of F and F-aggregate centers in the irradiated crystals. The photoluminescence (PL) emission spectrum of both pure and Mg doped crystals showed prominent emission at ~ 390 nm when they were excited at ~ 250 nm. Also, when the samples were excited at 323 and 363 nm strong emissions were observed at ~ 430 and 422 nm respectively. The optical absorption and PL intensities were found to increase with increase in dose.     

A simple growth route towards ZnO thin films and nanorods

Highly orientated ZnO thin films and the self-organized ZnO nanorods can be easily prepared by a simple chemical vapor deposition method using zinc acetate as a source material at the growth temperature of 180 and 320 °C, respectively. The ZnO thin films deposited on Si (100) substrate have good crystallite quality with the thickness of 490 nm after annealing in oxygen at 800 °C. The ZnO nanorods grown along the [0001] direction have average diameter of 40 nm with length up to 700 nm. The growth mechanism for ZnO nanorods can be explained by a vapor-solid (VS) mechanism. Photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO thin films and self-organized nanorods were investigated. The luminescence mechanism for green band emission was attributed to oxygen vacancies and the surface states related to oxygen vacancy played a significant role in PL spectra of ZnO nanorods.     

Etching temperature dependence of optical properties of the electrochemically etched n-GaAs

The GaAs granular films have been prepared by electrochemical anodic etching of n-GaAs in HCl electrolyte at different etching temperatures. The microstructure and optical properties of the films were investigated by micro-Raman spectrum, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Raman spectra reveal marked redshift and broadening, which could be explained by phonon confinement model. Results show the GaAs nanocrystalline films have formed during the anodic etching process under certain chemical conditions. Two “infrared” PL bands at ∼860 nm and ∼920 nm and a strongly enhanced visible PL band envelope around 550 nm were observed in the film prepared at etching temperature of 50 °C. The “green” PL band envelope is attributed to both quantum confinement in GaAs nanocrystals and PL of Ga₂O₃ and As₂O₃. The results reveal that the energy band structure of GaAs granular films is closely related to the etching temperatures. PACS 81.07.Bc; 78.30.Fs; 78.55.Cr     

Y共掺对掺Er硅酸盐玻璃光致荧光及荧光寿命的影响

采用固相反应方法制备了Er/Y共掺激光玻璃，其中Er³⁺浓度分别为0.5at%和1.0at%，所对应的Y³⁺浓度的变化范围分别为0.0at%—2.5at%和0.0at%—5.0at%.通过吸收光谱、瞬态和稳态光致发光光谱测量，研究了Y共掺对Er³⁺吸收截面、发射截面、荧光寿命和光致荧光特征的影响.研究结果表明：Y共掺杂导致1530nm附近的吸收峰宽化，对Er³⁺的吸收起到了一定的增强作用，并且这种宽化作用随着Er关键词： Er/Y共掺玻璃 光致荧光 荧光寿命     

Preparation and luminescent characteristic of Li3NbO4 nanophosphor

Synthesis and luminescence properties of Li₃NbO₄ oxides by the sol-gel process were investigated. The products were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and absorption spectra. The PL spectra excited at 247 nm have a broad and strong blue emission band maximum at 376 nm, corresponding to the self-activated luminescence of the niobate octahedra group [NbO₆]⁷⁻. The optical absorption spectra of the samples sintered at temperatures of 600 and 700 °C exhibited the band-gap energies of 4.0 and 4.08 eV.     

Substrate temperature dependence of properties of ZnO thin films deposited by LP-MOCVD

ZnO films were prepared on (0002) sapphire by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with fixed Zn and O gas flow rates. The film properties displayed complex dependencies on temperature over the range 330–460 °C. All films were preferentially oriented along the (0002) direction and the integrated intensity of the (0002) peak increased with increasing substrate temperature, indicative of an increasing deposition rate. Furthermore, high substrate temperatures promoted the growth of columnar grains, and improved the crystallinity, as the decreasing FWHM of the (0002) ZnO peak suggests. However, it was not the highest temperature sample, but the sample deposited at 390 °C that had the best UV band emission characteristics, with no defect-related luminescence in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, as well as the highest transmission and sharpest absorption edge in the transmittance spectra. PACS 81.15.Gh; 78.55.Et; 68.55.Jk; 61.10.Kw     

Disorder-dependent photoluminescence in Ba0.8Ca0.2TiO3 at room temperature

The photoluminescence (PL) emission in structurally disordered Ba_0.8Ca_0.2TiO₃ (BCT20) powders was observed at room temperature with laser excitation at lines 355 and 460 nm. The structural evolution perovskite-like titanate BCT20 powders prepared by a soft chemical processing at different annealing temperatures were accompanied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). Intermediate oxycarbonate phase was identified and your influence with PL emission was discarding. BCT20 annealed at 500 °C displays intense PL emission. The results indicate relationship between broad PL band and order-disorder degree.     

Large-scale synthesis of ZnO nanowires using a low-temperature chemical route and their photoluminescence properties

Single-crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires were synthesized from zinc powder and H₂O through a simple chemical route at 730 °C in Ar atmosphere. The potential exists for bulk synthesis of ZnO nanowires at temperatures significantly less than the 200–300 °C of thermal evaporation methods reported formerly. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations reveal that the ZnO nanowires are structurally uniform, have lengths up to several hundreds of micrometers and diameters of about 40–60 nm and crystallize in a hexagonal structure. The growth of ZnO nanowires is controlled by the vapor–solid crystal-growth mechanism. Photoluminescence measurements show that the ZnO nanowires have a strong near-band ultraviolet emission at 380 nm and a green light emission at 520 nm caused by oxygen vacancies. PACS 81.05.Ys; 78.55.Et     

Effect of annealing temperature on the optical properties of nanosilicon produced from silicon monoxide

Silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) capable of photoluminescence (PL) over the energy range from 790 nm to 900 nm were synthesized from silicon monoxide by increasing annealing temperatures from 25 °C to 950 °C. The PL of nanoparticles has remained stable for more than ten months from the date of the hydrosilylation of their surface by 1-octadecene. Solid samples of Si-NPs grafted with 1-octadecene are stable in the air up to 220 °C. The mean sizes of particles and their size distribution density function were derived from SAXS and XRD experiments and compared with TEM and HRTEM images and values calculated by the quantum limit model in accordance with the experimental optical absorption gap values. The absorption spectra of Si-NPs synthesized at 25 °C, 200 °C and 300 °C exhibited a blue shift of the fundamental absorption edge with respect to silicon single crystals; the absorption of Si600 and Si950 at the same incident photon shows energies increase. The PL peak of Si-NPs shifted toward longer waves as the synthesis temperature increased and exhibited a stronger red shift with respect to the photoexcitation wavelength. An analysis of the red shift led us to conclude that the surface states related to (Si-O) bonds influenced the effectiveness of PL. The Si-NPs PL quantum yield increased as the annealing temperature grew and reached a maximum of ∼12% for Si-NPs at 950 °C.     

Plasmon resonance modulated photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy of diindenoperylene organic semiconductor thin film

In a comparison between a bare diindenoperylene (DIP) film and a DIP film spin-coated with a layer of gold nanoparticles, we have investigated the influence of plasmon resonances in the gold particles on spectroscopic properties of the molecular film. Under off-resonant excitation with a laser at 633 nm, the bare DIP film showed only weak photoluminescence (PL) and Raman signals, but after spin-coating gold nanoparticles on such a DIP film, we found an enhancement of both the PL and Raman signals by a factor of about 3, whereas no enhancement could be observed when the same sample was excited with laser light of 488 nm. This difference reveals that at 633 nm, plasmon resonances in the gold nanoparticles are excited, leading in turn to an enhancement of PL and Raman signals of the weakly absorbing DIP film via coupling between plasmons in the gold particles and exciton-polaritons in the molecular film. For the laser at 488 nm, due to a much larger absorption coefficient of DIP, excitons in the molecular film are directly excited, out-weighing the influence of an off-resonant coupling to the plasmon resonances in the gold particles occurring at much lower energy.     

Irreversible quenching of luminescence in porous silicon

The influence of applied voltage on photoluminescence (PL) in porous silicon was studied. A strong PL band around 680 nm was observed when excited by a 300 nm ultraviolet light with no voltage applied, but upon increasing the bias voltage, a strong and progressive decrease of the PL intensity was observed leading finally to a complete quenching of the emitted light at 1.80 V. The peak position of the emission appears to be stable. This effect is completely irreversible, and the spectra depend on the increased voltage to the sample and corresponding temperature increase. Nonradiative recombination resulting from the thermal oxidation was suggested to be responsible for the quenching.     

Successive chemical solution deposition of ZnO films on flexible steel substrate: structure, photoluminescence and optical transitions

Zinc oxide is an attractive optoelectronic material with wide applications. Thin ZnO films were prepared on steel foil by successive chemical solution deposition (SCSD). The film structure, room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and optical absorption characteristics were investigated. This study revealed that films of high structural and optical quality can be prepared by the SCSD method. PL of as-grown films shows a weak green peak at 560 nm and a strong UV peak at 380 nm. Annealing in either air or argon suppresses the green peak and red shifts the UV emission towards 390 nm. The presence of chlorine in the deposition solution destroys the PL of as-grown films. A strong UV emission, however, develops after annealing the films in air. Several optical transitions measured from the film PL and optical absorption coefficients are shown to be related to transitions through the known defect levels in ZnO, such as E₁, L₁, E₃ and V_O ²⁺ levels. PACS 81.16.Be; 81.05.Dz; 78.55.Et; 78.66.Hf; 68.55.Jk     

Laser on porous silicon after oxidation by irradiation and annealing

Stimulated emission has been observed from oxide structure of silicon when optically excited by 514 nm laser. The photoluminescence (PL) pulse has a Lorentzian shape with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.5-0.6 nm. The twin peaks at 694 nm and 692 nm are dominated by stimulated emission which can be demonstrated by its threshold behavior and transition from sub-threshold to linear evolution in light emission. The gain coefficient from the evolution of the peak-emission intensity as a function of the optically pumped sample length has been measured. The oxide structure was fabricated by laser irradiation and annealing treatment on silicon. A model for explaining the stimulated emission has been proposed in which the trap states of the interface between oxide of silicon and porous nanocrystal play an important role.     

The effect of annealing on the photoluminescent and optical properties of porous anodic alumina films formed in sulfamic acid

Photoluminescent and optical properties of porous oxide films formed by two-step aluminum anodization at a constant potential of 30 V in sulfamic acid have been investigated after their annealing, ranging from room temperature up to 600 °C. X-ray diffraction reveals the amorphous nature of porous oxide films. Infrared and energy dispersive spectroscopy indicates the presence of sulfuric species incorporated in oxide films during the anodization. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show PL bands in the range from 320 to 600 nm. There are two peaks in emission and excitation spectra. One emission peak is at constant wavelength centered at 460 nm and the other shifts from 390 to 475 nm, depending on excitation wavelength. For excitation spectra, one spectral peak is at constant wavelength at 270 nm and the other also shifts to longer wavelengths while increasing emission wavelength. Upon annealing of the as-prepared oxide films PL increases reaching maximum value at about 300 °C and then decreases. The results indicate the existence of two PL centers, one placed at surface of the pore wall, while the other positioned inside the oxide films.     

Photoluminescence spectroscopy study on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum film

In situ photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) measurements of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃) film were carried out. Upon deposition of Alq₃ on the glass substrate, the PL intensity changes dramatically, while the peak position of Alq₃ emission shows a sharp red-shift from 524 nm at the initial deposition of Alq₃, and tends to a saturation value of 536 nm for the film thickness range from 2 to 500 nm. This red-shift is associated with the change from the 2D to 3D exciton state with increasing Alq₃ film thickness. Temperature dependent PL spectra of Alq₃ films showed, besides the changes in the PL intensity, clearly a blue-shift of Alq₃ emission about 9 nm for the film annealing up to 150 °C, while no any shift of Alq₃ emission was observed for the film annealing below 130 °C. Both changes in PL intensity, and especially in the peak position of Alq₃ emission were attributed to crystallization (thermal) effect of Alq₃ film upon annealing.