Piezoelectric Er3+-doped (Ba1Ca )(Sn0.06Ti0.94)O3 ceramic: Photoluminescence sensitive to morphotropic phase boundary

Abstract The 0.5 mol% Er 3+ -doped piezoelectric (Ba 1 -x Ca x )(Sn 0.06 Ti 0.94 )O 3 lead-free ceramics were prepared via a conventional solid-state sintering process. The confirmed morphotropic phase boundary of this material locates at x = 0.03 through measuring x dependence on dielectric and ferro-/piezoelectric performances. It was found that photoluminescence of Er 3+ -doped (Ba 1 -x Ca x )(Sn 0.06 Ti 0.94 )O 3 ceramics is sensitive to the structural phase transition. With the increase of x from 0.01 to 0.06, the photoluminescence peak intensity at 550 nm first increases and then decreases, giving to the optimal value at x = 0.03. The typical characteristic, photoluminescence sensitive to morphotropic phase boundary, can be used to develop a non-contact and sensitive way to indicate phase transition region of rare-earth doped lead-free piezoelectric ceramics.