Structural Defect Effect on the Concentration Quenching of TbxY2–xO3 Phosphor Thin Films

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This study investigates the structural defect effect on the luminescence properties of Tb x Y 2– x O 3 ( x = 0–0.5) composition-gradient films using combinatorial pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Tb x Y 2– x O 3 films were grown on a SrTiO 3 (001) substrate in an O 2 /He mixed atmosphere at PO 2 = 1 × 10 –4 Torr. A He buffer gas moderated the kinetic energy of the PLD plume and suppressed the resputtering of the film surface, resulting in the fabrication of defect-rich and poor Tb x Y 2– x O 3 films. The Tb x Y 2– x O 3 composition-gradient films exhibited varying green emissions from the Tb-doped Y 2 O 3 films. The luminescence intensity of the defect-rich film was significantly weaker than that of the defect-poor film. Furthermore, concentration quenching of the luminescence occurred at high Tb concentrations. The analysis of the decay profiles of the luminescence as a function of the Tb concentration suggested two possible reasons for luminescence quenching: dynamic quenching induced by structural defects and static quenching induced by the shorter average distance of adjacent Tb ions. The investigation of the structural defect effect on the luminescence properties provides insights into the primary material parameters of phosphor materials and offers a pathway for enhancing their luminescence properties.