Effect of corrugated substrates on light extraction efficiency and the mechanism of growth in pulsed laser deposited Y2O3:Eu3+ thin-film phosphors

The luminance level of thin-film Y2O3:Eu3+ phosphors deposited by a pulsed laser deposition techniques are not candidates for field emission display because of their low extraction efficiency. A square lattice nanorod-type two-dimensional SiO2 photonic crystal layer (PCL) was built on a quartz glass substrate in an attempt to improve the efficiency of light extraction. The pitch of the PCL was varied, such that 500, 550, and 600 nm pitches were produced while maintaining the depth of the PCL fixed at 200 nm. The integrated photoluminescence efficiency of an Y2O2:Eu3+ thin-film phosphor deposited on the PCL was improved by 4.8 times and well matched with the calculated result based on the finite-difference time-domain method. The PCL played a significant role not only in enhancing the extraction efficiency but also aiding in the control of the film growth. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.