Luminescence enhancement of a self-organised Y2O3:Eu3+ thin film-coated porous alumina membrane

Abstract

Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on unordered porous alumina membranes (PAMs). We showed that by adjusting the deposition parameters, self-organisation of Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ on the PAM occurs, which leads to the formation of a disordered photonic structure with high index contrast. Luminescence measurements showed a strong enhancement of the red emission (up to 12 times) compared to a continuous layer. We demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that such luminescence enhancement is directly correlated to an increase of the absorption efficiency in the UV range.