Synthesis and characterization of thermally evaporated Er-doped SnO2 thin films for photonic applications

In this study, different compositions of transparent films of erbium-doped tin oxide were created utilizing the thermal evaporation process on glass substrates. The tetragonal phase is verified by XRD analysis. The visible spectrum's strong transmittance was seen in the films. The films' transmission spectra ranged from 75 to 85% transmittance in the visible range with varying Er concentrations. Using Tauc's relation, values of the optical direct band gap have been calculated. The rutile phase of tin oxide is indicated by the Raman scattering peaks. PL measurements show thatonly the emission-related on a peak at 656 nm of Er3+ ions due to transition from 4I15/2 to 4F9/2 level and with the presence of doping, this emission becomes more intense. From the AFM measurements, the RMS roughness and grain size of films were computed. The results obtained show that these samples have wide applications in optoelectronic devices.