Luminescence Enhancement in Amorphous AlN:W by Co-Doped Gd+3

Thin films of amorphous AlN:W are deposited on Si(111) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at liquid nitrogen temperature. The deposited films are characterized for their luminescence properties using cathodoluminescence. A very broad luminescence from tungsten is observed with a relatively more intense peak at 491 nm and less intense at 429 nm. The addition of gadolinium enhanced the bluish-green emission from W
⁺³
more than six times. The cause for enhanced luminescence is the ultraviolet radiative energy transfer and not the electronic transition from Gd
⁺³
to W
⁺³
. The addition of Gd
⁺³
dopant also shuffled the energy levels of W
⁺³
and red shift is observed in the tungsten emission. The spectroscopy and ultraviolet light emission from Gd
⁺³
play important role in the enhanced luminescence from AlN:W.