Evaporated nanostructured Y2O3:Eu thin films

Europium-doped yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃:Eu) is a well-known luminescent material that has been experimented with in recent years in thin film form. However, to date there has not been a great effort put into altering the nanostructure of these films. A thin film deposition technique called glancing angle deposition (GLAD) allows for a high degree of control over the nanostructure of the thin film, resulting in thin films with nanostructures ranging from chevrons and posts to helices. GLAD was used here to make europium-doped yttrium oxide thin films with different nanostructures. Scanning electron microscopy was then used to characterize the nanostructures of the films, while UV excitation was used to characterize the photoluminescence properties of the films.