Influence of doping concentration and annealing temperature on the structure, particle morphology, and luminescent properties of powders and pulsed laser deposited thin films of bismuth-doped lanthanum gallate

Bi3+ doped LaGaO3 powders and thin films were grown via citric acid sol-gel combustion method and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, respectively. X-ray diffraction data confirmed crystallization of the orthorhombic LaGaO3 phase. Inductive coupled plasma spectroscopy data indicated that some Bi3+ ions evaporated at temperatures exceeding 800 °C during thermal treatment. The highest photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) emissions with a peak stabilized at 370 nm were observed from La1-x GaO3:Bi3+x=0.003 powders annealed at 1200 °C. The PL and CL emission spectra of La1-x GaO3:Bi3+x=0.003 PLD thin films were similar to those of the powder samples. The effect of Bi3+ concentration and annealing temperature on the properties of powders and thin films is discussed.