Structural, optical and electrical properties of SnO₂:Sb:Tb³/porous silicon devices

SnO 2 :Sb sol–gel derived thin films doped with Tb 3+ were deposited on porous silicon (PS) layers. Transmission electron microscopy observations, electron diffraction patterns and energy dispersive x-ray analysis revealed the crystallization of small crystallites of cassiterite embedded in the porous layer and the presence of Tb 3+ ions in the SnO 2 crystallites. The photoluminescence spectrum shows that Tb 3+ ions emit highly after annealing at 500 °C. Preliminary characterizations of the electrical and transient electroluminescence of the resulting nanocomposite structures are presented. We discuss the I – V of SnO 2 :Tb 3+ /PS device under both forward and reverse bias conditions.