Luminescence Enhancement in Amorphous AlN:W by Co-Doped Gd+3

Thin films of amorphous AlN:W are deposited on Si(111) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at liquid nitrogen temperature. The deposited films are characterized for their luminescence properties using cathodoluminescence. A very broad luminescence from tungsten is observed with a relatively more intense peak at 491 nm and less intense at 429 nm. The addition of gadolinium enhanced the bluish-green emission from W⁺³ more than six times. The cause for enhanced luminescence is the ultraviolet radiative energy transfer and not the electronic transition from Gd⁺³ to W⁺³. The addition of Gd⁺³ dopant also shuffled the energy levels of W⁺³ and red shift is observed in the tungsten emission. The spectroscopy and ultraviolet light emission from Gd⁺³ play important role in the enhanced luminescence from AlN:W.