Fabrication and photoluminescence of Er-doped Al2O3 thin films deposited by sol-gel method

Erbium doped Al
₂
O
₃
thin films were fabricated on quartz substrate by sol-gel method. Aluminum nitrate was used as inorganic precursor, whereas erbium was introduced as erbium nitrate. And then the layers were deposited by a spin-coating procedure. The as-deposited films, in which the erbium content was between 5 and 15 w. %, was annealed in air between 600 and 1200°C. The structure, morphology and Er-dopant concentration were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and Rutherford back scattering (RBS), The photoluminescence (PL) of Er doped thin films in near infrared region was also investigated.