Room Temperature Photoluminescence of TiO2 Thin Films Doped with Tb

Results on the fabrication and characterisation of thin films of the novel host, titania (TiO2), for the Tb3+ activator ion are reported. The titania films were produced by the sol-gel process at room temperature using the dip coating method and deposited on silicon and corning glass substrates. It is shown that a different surface morphology is developed for the TiO2:Tb films deposited on different substrates. When enough amount of Tb is incorporated and, a He-Cd 325 nm photoexcitation is used as excitation line, the films show green photoluminescence (PL) signal associated with the 5D4→7Fj transition of the electronic structure of Tb3+ plus an broad band due to matrix's defects. The PL emission has better characteristics for the films deposited on silicon wafers.