Spectral properties of LuBO3 powders and thin films processed by the sol-gel technique

Powders and thin films of LuBO3:Eu3+ have been prepared using an original synthesis route, the sol-gel (SG) technique. The derived compounds have been structurally and morphologically characterized confirming the good quality of the synthesized materials obtained by such a process. Both modifications of the structure, from amorphous to the vaterite form for the films and from the vaterite to the calcite for the powders, with the thermal processing have been controlled by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spectral repartition of the laser-induced luminescence of Eu3+ in each form correlates well with the structural descriptions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.