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Gd 1.82 Eu 0.10 Li 0.08 O 3 luminescent films have been grown on Al 2 O 3 ( 0 0 0 1 ) , Si(1 0 0) and quartz substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique. On varying the substrate, the film show different surface morphologies and luminescent characteristics. While considering the distributions of size of nanoparticles grown on different substrates, out of the two types of nucleation mechanisms viz., homogeneous (in gas phase) and heterogeneous (on the substrate), the AFM observations made in this work emphasizes the major role of heterogeneous mechanism in determining the morphology of laser ablated luminescent thin films. It is suggested that Al 2 O 3 ( 0 0 0 1 ) substrate supports cubic phase of Gd 1.82 Eu 0.10 Li 0.08 O 3 films and enabling it to be better crystalline with more rougher surface than Si(1 0 0) and quartz substrates. The intensities of the f–f transitions were parameterized within the frame work of the Judd–Ofelt theory.

Nanostructured Gd2O3:Eu3+ thin films were prepared by pulsed laser ablation technique. The dependence of structural, morphological and optical properties of these films on photoluminescence was systematically studied by varying the annealing temperature, Eu 3 + incorporation concentration and laser fluence. The intensity of the XRD peak from (2 2 2) crystal plane was found to increase with annealing temperature in the range 973–1173 K. Films annealed at 1173 K show a preferential growth along (2 2 2) crystal plane of the cubic Gd 2 O 3 and enhanced photoluminescence at 612 nm. XRD and Micro-Raman spectra and lattice strain investigations suggest that Eu 3 + incorporation introduce a strong lattice distortion in Gd 2 O 3 matrix. Morphological investigations using atomic force microscopy indicate a strong influence of the annealing process on the surface roughness and particle size. This kind of transparent thin film phosphors may promise for applications in flat-panel displays and X-ray imaging systems.