Abstract
$SrSnO_3:Tb^{3+}$ phosphor thin films were prepared on sapphire and quartz substrates in the growth temperature range of $100{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ by using the radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition. The resulting $SrSnO_3:Tb^{3+}$ thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible-infrared spectrophotometer, and photoluminescence spectrometer. The results indicated that the morphology, optical transmittance, band gap energy, and luminescence intensity of the phosphor thin films significantly depended on the growth temperature. All the thin films, regardless of the type of substrate, showed an amorphous behavior. As for the thin films deposited on sapphire substrate, the maximum crystallite size was obtained at a growth temperature of $400^{\circ}C$ and the strongest emission was green at 544 nm arising from the $^5D_4{\rightarrow}^7F_5$ transition of Tb3+. The average optical transmittance for all the thin films grown on sapphire and quartz substrates was decreased as the growth temperature increased from 100 to $400^{\circ}C$. The results suggest that the optimum growth temperatures for depositing highly-luminescent $SrSnO_3:Tb^{3+}$ phosphor thin films on sapphire and quartz substrates are 400 and $300^{\circ}C$, respectively.
