Synthesis,structural and optical characterization of Ni-doped ZnO nanoparticles

Nanocrystalline Zn_1−x Ni _x O (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) powders were synthesized by a simple sol–gel autocombustion method using metal nitrates of zinc, nickel and glycine. Structural and optical properties of the Ni-doped ZnO samples annealed at 800 °C are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis using X-rays (EDAX), UV–visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL). X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the Ni-doped ZnO crystallizes in a hexagonal wurtzite structure and secondary phase (NiO) was observed with the sensitivity of XRD measurement with the increasing nickel concentration (x ≥ 0.04). The lattice constants of Ni-doped ZnO nanoparticles increase slightly when Ni²⁺ is doped into ZnO lattice. The optical absorption band edge of the nickel doped samples was observed above 387 nm (3.20 eV) along with well-defined absorbance peaks at around 439 (2.82 eV), 615(2.01 eV) and 655 nm (1.89 eV). PL measurements of Ni-doped samples illustrated the strong UV emission band at ~3.02 eV, weak blue emission bands at 2.82 and 2.75 eV, and a strong green emission band at 2.26 eV. The observed red shift in the band gap from UV–visible analysis and near band edge UV emission with Ni doping may be considered to be related to the incorporation of Ni ions into the Zn site of the ZnO lattice.     

Electrical conductivity,relaxation, and scaling analysis studies of lithium alumino phosphate glasses and glass ceramics

Different compositions of lithium aluminum phosphate glasses were prepared by melt quenching technique. The best bulk conductivity achieved by the sample G₃, (28 mol% of lithium oxide). Further, the investigation extended by crystallizing the G₃ sample at different temperatures, 200 °C (GC₂₀₀), 300 °C(GC₃₀₀), 400 °C (GC₄₀₀), and 500 °C (GC₅₀₀). The electrical measurements for all the glasses and glass ceramics were carried out in the frequency range of 1–10⁵ Hz and at a temperature range of 393–513 K by the impedance spectroscopy. The variation of conductivity with frequency of the samples was explained in the light of different valency states of aluminum ions. AC conductivity data are fitted to a power law equation. Scaled spectra for ac conductivity and modulus data suggested that the present glass samples follow temperature independent conductivity distribution relaxation mechanism.     

Effect of annealing on the structural,electrical and magnetic properties of Gd-implanted ZnO thin films

We report the results from structural, electrical and magnetic measurements on Gd-implanted ion beam deposited zinc oxide (ZnO) films. 40 keV Gd ions were implanted into 150 nm thick ZnO films with fluence 2.8 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻². RBS spectra reveal the implanted atoms are located in the near-surface region in as-implanted and up to 923 K annealed films, diffusing deeper into the films after 1073 K annealing. SEM images show that the average grain size increases from 10 to 30 nm upon annealing. High-resolution and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy of a ZnO:Gd sample annealed at 923 K reveal the presence of Gd-rich regions in the film, but no evidence of pure Gd precipitates. Annealing increases the resistivity, and the carrier concentration decreases by as much as six orders of magnitude after annealing at up to 1073 K. All annealed films display a mix of paramagnetic, superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic behaviour extending to temperatures above 300 K that we attribute to the spatially inhomogeneous Gd distribution. The paramagnetic behaviour can be attributed to isolated Gd moments, while the ordered magnetic phases appear to arise from Gd-rich regions within the ZnO. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy provides evidence that there exist oxygen vacancies.     

The influence of rapid thermal annealing on electrical and structural properties of Pt/Au Schottky contacts to n-type InP

The electrical and structural properties of Pt/Au Schottky contacts to n-InP have been investigated in the annealing temperature range of 200–500 °C by current–voltage (I–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The barrier height of as-deposited Pt/Au Schottky contact is found to be 0.46 eV (I–V) and 0.68 eV (C–V). For the contacts annealed at 300 °C, the barrier height is increased to 0.51 eV (I–V) 0.89 eV (C–V). Further increase in annealing temperature up to 500 °C, the barrier height has been found to decrease to 0.49 eV (I–V) 0.82 eV (C–V) from those values obtained at 300 °C. It has been found that the electrical characteristics are significantly improved for Pt/Au Schottky contacts upon annealing at 300 °C. Based on the Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction results, the formation of Pt–In and Au–In intermetallic compounds at the interface may be the reason for the increase of barrier height after annealing at 300 °C for Pt/Au Schottky contacts. From the atomic force microscopy (AFM) results, it is evident that the surface becomes smooth with RMS roughness of 16.91 nm for the Pt/Au Schottky contacts after annealing at 500 °C compared to the 300 °C annealed sample (RMS roughness of 17.33 nm).     

Cathodoluminescence properties of SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Pr<Superscript>3+</Superscript>and ZnO·SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Pr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> phosphor nanopowders

The successful incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles in Pr³⁺-doped SiO₂ using a sol–gel process is reported. SiO₂:Pr³⁺ gels, with or without ZnO nanoparticles, were dried at room temperature and annealed at 600 °C. On the basis of the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) results, the SiO₂ was amorphous regardless of the incorporation of Pr³⁺ and nanocrystalline ZnO or annealing at 600 °C. The particles were mostly spherical and agglomerated as confirmed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis of dried gels performed in an N₂ atmosphere indicated that stable phases were formed at ≥900 °C. Absorption bands ascribed to ³H₄-³P_{(J = 0,1,2)}, ¹I₆ and ¹D₂ in the UV–VIS region were observed from SiO₂:Pr³⁺ colloids. The red cathodoluminescent (CL) emission corresponding to the ³P₀ → ³H₆ transition of Pr³⁺ was observed at 614 nm from dried and annealed SiO₂:Pr³⁺ powder samples. This emission was increased considerably when ZnO nanoparticles were incorporated. The CL intensity was measured at an accelerating voltage of 1-5 keV and a fixed beam current of 8.5 μA. The effects of accelerating voltage on the CL intensity and the CL degradation of SiO₂:Pr³⁺ and ZnO·SiO₂:Pr³⁺ were also investigated using Auger electron spectroscopy coupled with an Ocean Optics S2000 spectrometer.     

Fabrication and magnetoresistivit of ex-situ processed MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Fe monofilament tapes without any intermediate annealing

We have fabricated MgB₂/Fe monofilament wires and tapes by a powder-in tube (PIT) technique, using an ex-situ process without any intermediate annealing. MgB₂/Fe monofilament tapes were annealed at 650–1,050°C for 60 min and 950°C for 30–240 min. We have investigated the effect of annealing temperatures and times on the formation of MgB₂ phase, activation energy, temperature dependence of irreversibility field H _irr(T) and upper critical field H _c2(T), transition temperature (T _c), lattice parameters (a and c), full width at half maximum, crystallinity, resistivity, residual resistivity ratio, active cross-sectional area fraction and critical current densities. We observed that the activation energies of the MgB₂/Fe monofilament samples increased with increasing annealing temperature up to 950°C and with increasing annealing time up to 60 min while it decreased with increasing magnetic field. For the MgB₂/Fe monofilament tape, the slope of the H _c2–T and H _irr–T curves decreased with increasing annealing temperature from 850 to 950°C as well as with increasing annealing time from 30 to 60 min. The transport and microstructure investigations show that T _c, J _c and microstructure properties are remarkably enhanced with increasing annealing temperature. The highest value of critical current density is obtained for the sample annealed at 950°C for 60 min. The J _c and T _c^offset values of the sample annealed at 950°C for 60 min were found to be 260.43 A/cm² at 20 and 38.1 K, respectively.     

The effect of annealing on the deformation behaviour and microstructure of crystallized Mg–23.5Ni (wt.%) alloy

Rapidly solidified amorphous Mg–23.5Ni (wt.%) ribbons were crystallized at 300 and 400 °C for 90 min. After annealing at 300 °C the microstructure was heterogeneous, consisting of rounded eutectic–lamellar domains, which contained magnesium grains smaller than 500 nm. In the case of ribbons annealed at 400 °C the microstructure, however, was homogenous, and composed of well-formed magnesium grains and Mg₂Ni particles. At room temperature both crystallized materials were brittle due to the high volume fraction of Mg₂Ni particles, but they exhibited some ductility with increasing test temperature. Above 200 °C, the microstructure of the ribbons annealed at 300 °C was characterised by the formation of particle free zones during the tensile test. This structure was not observed in the material annealed at 400 °C. Deformation behaviour and changes in the microstructure during plastic flow of both crystallized materials were explained according to grain boundary sliding mechanisms.     

Rapid Thermal Annealing of ZnO Nanocrystalline Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films were prepared by the sol–gel method and annealed at 600 °C by conventional (CTA) and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) processes on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrates for application as the work electrode for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). ZnO films were crystallized using a conventional furnace and the proposed RTA process at annealing rates of 5 °C/min and 600 °C/min, respectively. The ZnO thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses. Based on the results, the ZnO thin films crystallized by the RTA process presented better crystallization than films crystallized in a conventional furnace. The ZnO films crystallized by RTA showed higher porosity and surface area than those prepared by CTA. The results show that the short-circuit photocurrent (J _sc) and open-circuit voltage (V _oc) values increased from 4.38 mA/cm² and 0.55 V for the DSSC with the CTA-derived ZnO films to 5.88 mA/cm² and 0.61 V, respectively, for the DSSC containing the RTA-derived ZnO films.     

Synthesis of Er-doped ZnO nanoparticle/organic hybrid from metal-organics

An Er-doped ZnO nanoparticle/organic hybrid was synthesized in situ from zinc acrylate (ZA) and erbium acetate (EA) using methylhydrazine. Nano-sized Er-doped ZnO particles were formed in an organic matrix by hydrolysis and polymerization of ZA–EA at 80 °C. The crystallinity of the Er-doped ZnO particles in the hybrid was dependent upon the hydrolysis temperature and water amount. Analysis by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analyzer revealed that crystalline ZnO nanoparticles doped with Er were dispersed in the organic matrix. The hybrid film sandwiched between fused silica plates was highly transparent. The Er-doped ZnO particle/organic hybrid showed a photoluminescence peak at 0.81 eV (1.54 μm) attributed to the transition of Er³⁺ ions.     

Annealing Effect of Mn thin Films on GaAs

Thin Mn films were deposited on GaAs(100) surfaces at room temperature by a thermal evaporation system followed by annealing at 500 °C for times ranging from 2 to 8 h in nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction shows that for samples annealed at 500 °C, the interfacial reaction results in the formation of different phases such as Mn₂As, MnAs and Mn₃Ga. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry indicates a diffused layer of Mn–Ga–As system along with some minor oxygen content. Magnetization study done at 10 K shows M–H curve comprising a ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic part and M–T measurement done from 10 to 300 K shows a transition around 45 K which may be related to the presence of GaMnAs alloy along with the presence of the above binary phases.     

Structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Mg–Cd ferrites prepared by oxalate co-precipitation method

Polycrystalline spinel ferrites with general formula Mg_1−x Cd _x Fe₂O₄ (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0) were prepared by oxalate co-precipitation method using high purity sulfates. The samples were sintered at 1,050 °C for 5 h. The structural properties of these samples were investigated by XRD, SEM and FTIR techniques. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the formation of single phase cubic spinel structure of all the samples. The lattice constant, X-ray density, physical density, porosity, crystallite size, site radii (r _A, r _B), bond length (A–O, B–O) on tetrahedral (A-site) and octahedral (B-site) were calculated for the samples. The lattice constant increases with increase in Cd²⁺ content. The X-ray density increases with increase in Cd²⁺ content. The crystallite size calculated by Scherrer formula is in the range of 27.79–30.40 nm. Physical densities are calculated by Archimedes principle. The SEM study shows that the grain size increases with increasing Cd²⁺ content. The FTIR spectra shows two strong absorption bands around 576 and 431 cm⁻¹ on the tetrahedral and octahedral sites, respectively. The dependence of saturation magnetization on Cd²⁺ content suggests that A–B and B–B super exchange interaction are comparable in strength. Neel’s two sub lattice model is applicable up to x ≤ 0.4, while Y–K three sub lattice models (canted spin) is predominant for x ≥ 0.4.     

Effect of synthesis conditions on the preparation of BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanopowders using two different methods

Bismuth orthoferrite (BiFeO₃) nanoparticles have been synthesized via the co-precipitation and the oxalate precursor methods. Effects of Bi source, annealing temperature, Bi/Fe molar ratio, oxalic acid ratio and Mn²⁺ ion on the crystal structure, crystallite size, microstructure and magnetic properties of the produced powders were systematically studied. The results revealed that bismuth oxychloride and iron oxide were formed using chlorides sources. A single phase of BiFeO₃ was formed from as-made samples with Bi/Fe molar ratio 1.1 using nitrate sources and annealed at 500 and 600 °C for 2 h via the two pathways. The pure BiFeO₃ phase appeared as spherical and pseudocubic-like structure using the co-precipitation and the oxalic acid precursor routes, respectively. A high saturation magnetization (3.94 emu/g) was achieved for powder formed from the oxalate precursor route with Bi/Fe molar ratio 1.0 annealed at 600 °C for 2 h as the result of the formation of Bi₂₅FeO₃₉. Moreover, Mn²⁺ ion addition affected BiFeO₃ properties due to the formation of Bi₂Fe₂Mn₂O₁₀. Hence, the saturation magnetization and the coercive force of BiFeO₃ were improved substantially by substitution of Mn²⁺ ions (BiFe_1-XMn_XO₃, X = 0.1–0.2).     

Structure and photoluminescence of SiC/ZnO nanocomposites prepared by radio frequency alternate sputtering

SiC/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared by radio frequency alternate sputtering followed by annealing in N₂ ambient. Well-crystallized ZnO matrix was obtained after annealed at 750 °C according to X-ray diffractometer patterns. Transmission electron microscopy analyses indicated that the SiC thin layer aggregated to form SiC nanoclusters with the average size of 7.2 nm when the annealing temperature was 600 °C. When the annealing temperatures increased above 900 °C, some of the SiC nanoclusters changed into SiC nanocrystals and surfacial atoms of the SiC nanoparticles were surrounded by a layer of SiO _x (x ≤ 2) according to the Fourier transform infrared spectrums. The SiC/ZnO nanocomposites annealed at 750 °C exhibit strong photoluminescence bands ranging from 250 to 600 nm. UV light originates from the near band edge emission of ZnO and the blue emission peaked at around 465 nm (2.7 eV) may be due to the formation of emission centers caused by the defects in Si–O network, while the green-emission peak at around 550 nm (2.3 eV) may be attributed to the deep level recombination luminescence caused by the vacancies of oxygen and zinc.     

Urea effect on the mechanism of mullite crystallization

Mullite is an excellent structural material due to its physical and mechanical properties. In this study, mullite was obtained by the sol–gel process, using silicic acid, aluminum nitrate, and urea. The urea effect was studied by evaluating samples obtained from urea/Al³⁺ ratio equal to 0, 1, and 3. The kinetic study was conducted using the isoconversional, non-isothermal, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method. The sample prepared without urea, which is the least homogeneous one, formed spinel and α-alumina at 1150 °C, and Al-poor mullite together with α-alumina, at 1200 °C. The Al-poor mullite crystallization process from this sample showed the lowest yield. The sample prepared with urea/Al³⁺ ratio equal to 1, which has an intermediate behavior, formed spinel at 1100 °C, Al-poor mullite at 1150 °C, and α-alumina together with Al-poor mullite at 1250 °C. However, the sample prepared with urea/Al³⁺ ratio equal to 3, the most homogeneous, formed spinel and Al-rich mullite at 1100 °C. This sample formed Al-poor mullite at 1200 °C with the highest yield. Moreover, the sample synthesized without urea showed a higher porosity and a greater amount of hexacoordinated aluminum at 350 °C. All samples showed the same kinetic model, Šesták and Berggren (SB) for Al-poor mullite crystallization. The samples synthesized with urea crystallized mullite through the same kinetic parameters and constant values of the activation energy, but the sample prepared without urea followed different kinetic parameters and values of activation energy which changed over the course of the crystallization.     

Photoluminescence and thermoluminescence studies of Tb3+ doped ZnO nanorods

Here in, the synthesis of the terbium doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Tb³⁺) nanorods via room temperature chemical co-precipitation was explored and their structural, photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescence (TL) studies were investigated in detail. The present samples were found to have pure hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The as obtained samples were broadly composed of nanoflakes while the highly crystalline nanorods have been formed due to low temperature annealing of the as synthesized samples. The diameters of the nanoflakes are found to be in the range 50–60 nm whereas the nanorods have diameter 60–90 nm and length 700–900 nm. FTIR study shows ZnO stretching band at 475 cm^?1 showing improved crystal quality with annealing. The bands at 1545 and 1431 cm^?1 are attributed to asymmetric and symmetric CO stretching vibration modes. The diffuse reflectance spectra show band edge emission near 390 nm and a blue shift of the absorption edge with higher concentration of Tb doping. The PL spectra of the Tb³⁺-doped sample exhibited bright bluish green and green emissions at 490 nm (⁵D₄ → ⁷F₆) and 544 nm (⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅) respectively which is much more intense then the blue (450 nm), bluish green (472 nm) and broad green emission (532 nm) for the undoped sample. An efficient energy transfer process from ZnO host to Tb³⁺ is observed in PL emission and excitation spectra of Tb³⁺-doped ZnO ions. The doped sample exhibits a strong TL glow peak at 255 °C compared to the prominent glow peak at 190 °C for the undoped sample. The higher temperature peaks are found to obey first order kinetics whereas the lower temperature peaks obey 2nd order kinetics. The glow peak at 255 °C for the Tb³⁺ doped sample has an activation energy 0.98 eV and frequency factor 2.77 × 10⁸ s^?1.     

Strong luminescence and efficient energy transfer in Eu3+/Tb3+-codoped ZnO nanocrystals

Single crystalline Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺-codoped ZnO nanocrystals have been synthesized by using a simple co-precipitation method. Successful doping is realized so that strong green and red luminescence can be efficiently excited by ultraviolet and near ultraviolet radiation, demonstrating an efficient energy transfer from ZnO host to rare earth ions. The energy transfer from the ZnO host to Tb³⁺ in ZnO: Tb³⁺ samples and ZnO host to Eu³⁺ in the ZnO: Eu³⁺ samples under UV excitation are investigated. It is found that the red ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ emission of Eu³⁺ ions decreases with increasing temperature but the green ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ emission of Tb³⁺ ions increases with increasing temperature, implying a different energy transfer processes in the two samples. Moreover, energy transfer from Tb³⁺ ions to Eu³⁺ ions in ZnO nanocrystals is also observed by analyzing luminescence spectra and the decay curves. By adjusting the doping concentration, the Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺-codoped ZnO phosphors emit green and red luminescence with chromaticity coordinates near white light region, high color purity and high intensity, indicating that they are promising light-conversion materials and have potential in field emission display devices and liquid crystal display backlights.     

Fabrication and ferroelectric properties of sol–gel derived 1–1 intergrowth-superlattice-structured Bi<Subscript>3</Subscript>TiNbO<Subscript>9</Subscript>-Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin films

1–1 intergrowth-superlattice-structured Bi₃TiNbO₉–Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BTN–BIT) ferroelectric thin films have been prepared on p-Si substrates by sol-gel processing. The precursor films are crystallized in the desired intergrown BTN–BIT superlattice structures by optimizing the processing conditions. Synthesized BTN–BIT thin films annealed below 750 °C are polycrystalline, uniform and crack-free, no pyrochlore phase or other second phase, and exhibited good ferroelectric properties. As the annealing temperature increases from 600 to 700 °C, both remanent polarization P _r and coercive electric field E _c of BTN–BIT thin films increase, but the pyrochlore phase in BTN–BIT films annealed above 750 °C will impair the ferroelectric properties. The BTN–BIT thin films annealed at 700 °C have a P _r value ~19.1μC/cm² and an E _c value ~135 kV/cm.     

Electrical, structural and morphological characteristics of rapidly annealed Pd/n-InP (100) Schottky structure

The electrical and structural properties of the Pd/InP (100) Schottky barrier diodes have been investigated as a function of annealing temperature by current–voltage (I–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The Schottky barrier height of the as-deposited, 100 and 200°C annealed contacts determined from the I–V and C–V measurements are 0.56 and 0.81 eV, 0.57 and 0.81 eV, and 0.58 and 0.82 eV, respectively. However, both the measurements showed that the Schottky barrier height of the Pd/n-InP Schottky contact is increased to 0.59 eV (I–V) and 0.83 eV (C–V) when the contact is annealed at 300°C for 1 min in nitrogen atmosphere. Further Schottky barrier height decreases to 0.57 eV (I–V), 0.71 eV (C–V) and 0.53 eV (I–V), 0.67 eV (C–V) after annealing at 400 and 500°C samples. The result shows that the optimum annealing temperature for the Pd/InP Schottky diode is 300°C. Norde method is also used to determine the barrier height of Pd Schottky contacts and the values are 0.56 eV for the as-deposited contact, 0.57, 0.57, 0.58, 0.57 and 0.54 eV for contacts annealed at 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500°C which are consistent with the values obtained by the I–V measurements. From the atomic force microscopy results, it is evident that the overall surface morphology of the Pd/InP Schottky diode is fairly smooth. Based on the XRD results, the formation of phosphorus-oxygen compounds at the interface may be responsible for the variation in barrier heights observed in Pd/InP Schottky contacts with annealing temperature.     

Electrical and optical properties of P-doped ZnO thin films by annealing temperatures in Nitrogen ambient

The effects of post-annealing temperature on the optical and electrical properties of P-doped ZnO thin films, grown on sapphire substrate, have been investigated when the annealing is performed under nitrogen ambient. Analysis of the XRD shows that regardless of the post-annealing temperature, the P-doped ZnO thin films have grown the (002) peak. The full width of half maximum decreases from 0.194 to 0.181° as the annealing temperature increases from 700 to 900 °C. This phenomenon means that the increase of annealing temperature causes enhancement of the thin film’s crystalline properties. The results of Hall effect measurements indicate that the P-doped ZnO thin films, annealed at 750 and 800 °C exhibit p-type behavior, with hole concentrations of 5.71 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ and 1.20 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³, and hole mobilities of 0.12 cm²/Vs and 0.08 cm²/Vs, respectively. The low-temperature (10 K) photoluminescence results reveal that the peaks related to the neutral-acceptor exciton (A⁰X) at 3.355 eV, free electrons to neutral acceptor (FA) at 3.305 eV and donor acceptor pair (DAP) at 3.260 and 3.170 eV are observed in the films showing p-type behavior with the acceptors. Because P atoms replace O atoms to produce acceptors from P-doped ZnO thin films by the thermal activation process at the appropriate annealing temperature with nitrogen ambient, the p-type ZnO thin films can be fabricated in this way.     

Sol-gel synthesis and luminescence property of ZnO:(La,Eu)Cl nanocomposite thin films

A kind of ZnO:(La, Eu)Cl nanocomposite thin film phosphor with strong red emission was synthesized by the sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy characterization indicate that the films were composed of nano-sized grains and a LaOCl phase appeared accompanying with (100) oriented ZnO phase after annealed at 600 °C in oxygen. The photoluminescence properties were investigated by measuring the excitation and emission spectra. These luminescence results suggested that Eu³⁺ ions could incorporate into the LaOCl lattice and charge transfer occurred between LaOCl phase and Eu³⁺ ions. La co-doping with Eu-Cl leads to the improvement of the red luminescence of Eu³⁺ and also suppressed the broad green emission of ZnO host.