Influence of Oxygen Vacancies on the Luminescence Spectra of Y2O3 Thin Films

Luminescence spectra of Y₂O₃ thin films annealed in air and in vacuum are investigated. It is established that the presence of oxygen vacancies leads to a decrease in the intensity of the luminescence band with a maximum at 3.4 eV (related to emission of selflocalized Frenkel excitons describing the excited state of a molecular ion (YO₆)^9–) and of the luminescence band with a maximum at 2.9 eV (related to the anion sublattice). It is revealed that the oxygen vacancies also lead to a decrease in the luminescence intensity in the 2.60, 2.35, 2.10. 1.90, and 1.70 eV bands that are related to radiative recombination in the donor–acceptor Y³⁺–O^2– pairs. The donor–acceptor distances are calculated.