Role of Ga particulates on the structure and optical properties of Y3(Al,Ga)5O12:Tb thin films prepared by PLD

Abstract Y 3 (Al,Ga) 5 O 12 :Tb thin films (70 nm) have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition on a Si (100) substrate at the substrate temperature of 300 °C. The effect of annealing time on the structural, morphological and luminescence properties of Y 3 (Al,Ga) 5 O 12 :Tb thin films at 800 °C were studied. The crystal structure of the samples was studied by X- ray diffraction (XRD) and showed shifts in the peak positions to lower diffraction angles for the annealed film compared to the XRD peak positions of the commercial Y 3 (Al,Ga) 5 O 12 :Tb powder. A new excitation band different from the original Y 3 (Al,Ga) 5 O 12 :Tb powder was also observed for the annealed films. The shift in the XRD pattern and the new excitation band for the annealed film suggested that the films were enriched with Ga after annealing.