Dependence of luminescence efficiency on dopant concentration and sintering temperature in the erbium-doped Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 thin films

We found the dependence of luminescence efficiency on Er3+ concentration and sintering temperature in the Er-doped Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 (BST) thin films is governed by crystallinity and ion–ion interaction. X-ray diffraction and Raman studies of the sol-gel prepared samples show that the BST polycrystalline phase occurred when the sintering temperature reaches 700 °C, whereas, it becomes worse for temperature above 700 °C resulting from phase separation and the Er3+ concentration exceeding 3 mol % due to charge compensation mechanism. The observed green emission reaches maximum at sintering temperature 700 °C and 3 mol % Er3+ ions concentration. We also showed the Er dopant does not affect the dielectric property of BST thin films in C–V measurement and the Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 films doped with Er3+ ions may have potential use for electroluminescence devices.