Sputter-grown Eu-doped WO3-Eu2(WO4)3 composite red phosphor thin films

Abstract Eu3+-activated WO3-Eu2(WO4)3 luminescent composite thin films are grown on low-cost slide glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering and then annealing in an air atmosphere furnace. The films obtained by sputtering 12 at.% of Eu-added WO3 target afforded a two-phase composite structure comprising Eu-doped WO3 and Eu2(WO4)3 after annealing. The composite thin films annealed at 600 °C exhibited strong red emission after growing at room temperature compared to those annealed at 500 °C under the excitation of 254, 394, and 465 nm corresponding to ultraviolet, near-ultraviolet, and blue light, respectively. The thin films grown at low temperatures without annealing did not emit under ultraviolet light. The crystalline structure, surface morphology, and optical properties, such as transmittance and photoluminescence, of the films grown at 500 °C were almost similar to those of the thin films grown at room temperature when they were annealed at the same temperature. Pure WO3 thin films without Eu doping showed similar crystallization behavior under the same annealing conditions as Eu-added composite films; however, they did not exhibit photoluminescence properties. Our report on the integration of thin-film red phosphors on glass substrates is promising for the development of low-cost and large-area optical devices activated at various excitation wavelengths.