Investigation on upconversion photoluminescence of Bi3TiNbO9:Er3+:Yb3+ thin films

Bi3TiNbO9:Er3+:Yb3+ (BTNEY) thin films were fabricated on fused silica by pulsed laser deposition. It was demonstrated that different laser fluence and substrate temperature during growth of BTNEY upconversion photoluminescence (UC-PL) samples control the film's grain size and hence influences the UC-PL properties. The average grain size of BTNEY thin films deposited on fused silica substrates with laser fluence 4, 5, 6, and 7 J/cm(2) are 30.8, 35.9, 40.6, and 43.4 nm, respectively. The 525 nm emission intensities increase with the deposition laser fluence and the emission intensities of BTNEY thin film deposited under 700 and 600 degrees C are almost 24 and 4 times, respectively, as strong as those of samples under 500 degrees C. The grain size of BTNEY thin film increases with the increasing temperature. UC-PL of BTNEY films is enhanced by increasing grain size of the films. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.