Exciton Luminescence and Optical Properties of Nanocrystalline Cubic Y(2)O(3) Films Prepared by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the energy structure, optical characteristics, and spectral-kinetic parameters of elementary excitations in a high-purity nanocrystalline cubic Y(2)O(3) film synthesized by reactive magnetron sputtering. The optical transparency gaps for direct and indirect interband transitions were determined and discussed. The dispersion of the refractive index was established based on the analysis of interference effects. It was found that the refractive index of the Y(2)O(3) film synthesized in this study is higher in order of magnitude than that of the films obtained with the help of other technologies. The intrinsic emission of Y(2)O(3) film has been discussed and associated with the triplet–singlet radiative relaxation of self-trapped and bound excitons. We also studied the temperature behavior of the exciton luminescence of Y(2)O(3) for the first time and determined thermal activation barriers. The optical energy and kinetic parameters of cubic Y(2)O(3) films were analyzed in comparison with those of the monoclinic films of yttrium oxide. The main difference between the optical properties of cubic and monoclinic Y(2)O(3) films was established, which allowed for a supposition of their application prospects.