Effects of thermal annealing on spectroscopic properties of Eu3+ in Sr1-xBxNb2O6 films

Thermal annealing influence on properties of strontium-barium niobate (SBN) films doped with Eu3+ has been studied using laser spectroscopic methods. The Stark splittings of the D-5(1) state and all the F-7(J) states are well resolved only in the spectra from the annealed films, whereas the spectra of Eu3+ in the as-deposited film is similar to that in amorphous phases, No n-resonant fluorescence line narrowing (FLN) is observed only for the annea led film, which indicates a correlation between the energy levels of Eu3+ i n inhomogeneous line broadening. Annealing-induced crystallization of the a s-deposited film also increases the D-5(0) fluorescence lifetime and allows hyperfine spectral hole burning. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.