Structural and optical characterization of Ce-doped Gd2SiO5 films by sol–gel technique

Abstract: Cerium-doped Gd2SiO5 (GSO:Ce) films have been prepared on (111) silicon substrates by the sol–gel technique. Annealing was performed in the temperature range from 400 to 1000°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the structure and morphology of GSO:Ce films. Results showed that GSO:Ce film starts to crystallize at about 600°C, GSO:Ce films have a preferential (021) orientation, as the annealing temperature increase, the (021) peak intensity increases, the full width of half maximum (FWHM) decreases, and the grain size of GSO:Ce films increases. Emission spectra of GSO:Ce films were measured, results exhibit the characteristic blue emission peak at 427nm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]