Er doped BaBi4Ti4O15 multifunctional ferroelectrics: Up-conversion photoluminescence, dielectric and ferroelectric properties

Ferroelectric oxides with optical, electrical and mechanical multifunctions have great potential applications in future optoelectronic devices. We examined the Er doped BaBi4Ti4O15 (BBT) layered ferroelectric oxides and demonstrated that a certain amount of Er doped ceramic sample shows a bright up-conversion photoluminescence (UC) while simultaneously obtaining enhanced ferroelectric properties and increased Curie temperature (T-c). The UC properties of doped BBT ceramics were investigated as functions of Er3+ concentration and incident pump power. Green (557 nm) and red (670 nm) emission bands were obtained under 980 nm excitation at room temperature. Studies of dielectric constant and dielectric loss with different temperature indicated that introduction of Er increased the Tc with relatively lower values of dielectric loss of BBT thus making this ceramic suitable for sensor applications at higher temperatures. Meanwhile, Er introduction improved the ceramic's ferroelectric properties by increasing the remnant polarization making it suitable for effective ferroelectric devices. As a multifunctional material, Er doped BBT showed a great potential to be used in sensor, optical-electrical integration and coupling devices. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.