Color-tunable upconversion luminescence of Yb3+, Er3+, and Tm3+ tri-doped ferroelectric BaTiO3 materials

Tunable upconversion (UC) multicolor luminescence is observed from Yb3+, Er3+, and Tm3+ tri-doped ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BTO) materials. By control of dopant concentrations, the lanthanide-doped BTO powders are capable of generating various UC spectra and color tunability. A white-light emission is achieved through an optimal design. Strong UC luminescence is also observed in the lanthanide-doped BTO thin-films grown on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate, which can retain well-defined hysteresis loops with a remnant polarization (2P(r)) of 17.8 mu C/cm(2). These findings open the possibility of lanthanide-doped BTO as multifunctional materials, in which both luminescent and ferroelectric properties co-exist. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.